Sugar on the Asphalt
by crisislikewoah
Summary: After almost nine years after moving back to Louisiana, Calleigh makes her return to Miami with her family...and a bit of a problem. R&R MUCH appreciated. CHAPTER 19 REVISED, CHAPTER 20 UP!
1. seven minutes ahead of schedule

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

"She had two babies, one was six and one was three, in the form of forty-four." -Paula Cole, "I Don't Wanna Wait"

Calleigh Jones buckled her three year old daughter into her car seat as her six year old son buckled in himself. "Hurry up, Harvey," she instructed. "We have to get goin'. " Pushing a long strand of blonde hair out of her face, she went over her mental check list. The lights were off in the house, but the TV had been left on for her husband Ben. The bags for the three of them had been packed into the back of her car and the radio's digital clock now read 2253. _'Seven minutes ahead of schedule,'_ she thought. A deep breath, and she turned the key, causing the car to roar to life. Digging into her purse, she pulled out he secondhand cell phone and dialed the number of a long-distance friend.

A groggy voice answered. "Hmm?"

"Oh, I woke you up," Calleigh stated with a thick southern accent. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, but it's fine. Are you and the kids on your way?"

She sighed and looked in her rear view mirror, and smiled at what she saw. The move from her bed to her car seat had not awakened her daughter, and her son was losing energy rather quickly. "Yeah, we are. Harvey's falling back asleep, but Jordan is knocked out. But they can't wait to play with Aunt Nattie."

"Aww, good. Cos I can't wait to spoil the crap out of them." By just the sound of her sleepy voice, it could be told that Natalia Boa Vista was smiling. Calleigh backed out of the driveway. "I haven't told anyone you're coming."

"I appreciate that," Calleigh replied. "It's better that way, I think." There was more traffic in her Louisiana neighborhood that expected for being almost midnight, and Calleigh was made only slightly nervous by it. "But when they see us, they'll definitely flip at how big the kids have gotten."

Natalia laughed. "I don't doubt it."

"I'm gonna stop and fill my gas tank up, so. It shouldn't take me more than maybe fifteen hours to get there."

"Fifteen?!"

It was Calleigh's turn to laugh. "Yeah, silly. I googled it. I should be there by the time you get off work."

"Great. That's gonna help my day go faster," Natalia teased. "Alright. I'll see you then, Cal."

"Okay. Bye, Nat." Closing her phone, Calleigh looked at her son in the rear view mirror again. "You ready for our vacation in Florida, buddy?" Harvey nodded sleepily, rubbing his eyes before closing them. "Good. Go to sleep. I love you, bud."

"Love you too, Mommy," Harvey mumbled as he drifted off.

* * *

Ashley, the receptionist at the lab, poked her head around the corner, and saw no one but a single person in the break room. She was Sheryl's replacement, and had been working there for about five years, which led to her confusion on the person standing in her lobby.

Horatio heard approaching footsteps, so he turned and smiled politely when he saw Ashley standing there. "Yes, Ma'am? What is it?"

Ashley took a deep breath. "There's a woman in the lobby, she's looking for Natalia. She said she used to work here a few years ago, but I've never seen her before."

"What does this woman look like?" Horatio asked.

"She's about...five-four, kinda skinny. Fair skinned, short brown hair. She won't take her sunglasses off, so we have no eye color." The receptionist shrugged. "She's got two kids with her though."

This clearly baffled Horatio as well. "No one with that description has ever worked here...lead the way." He followed Ashley to the front desk, and observed as the woman in question picked up a small girl. Her back was to him, and he began to approach the woman, making sure to keep his six foot reactionary gap. "Excuse me, Ma'am." The woman turned around. "My name is Lieutenant Horatio Caine, and I understand you're looking for one of my employees. May I help you?"

The woman smiled, and tried her best not to smile too widely. "No, but thank you." She told him in her thick southern drawl, and she shook her head. "I'm just waitin' for Miss Boa Vista."

The gears in Horatio's head were turning furiously. She seemed familiar. Her voice and accent struck him like deja vu. Even her smile...and then he was slapped in the face with realization. He smiled once again, and nodded. "Of course, Ma'am. If you'll follow me?"

The woman reinforced her grip on the small girl, and she freed one hand to take a hold of the hand of a slightly bigger boy. A few corners, and Horatio brought them to a stop. "Natalia?" he asked. "You have visitors." He looked at he familiar woman, winked, and nodded. "Ma'am," he said, and walked off.

Natalia looked at her visitors and smiled brightly, waiting until her boss was gone and out of ear shot to say anything. "Hey!" She moved to give the woman a hug, child still in the arms of her mother. "I am so glad to see you, Cal."

"You have no idea how fast my heart is beating right now," Calleigh chuckled. "He knows it's me, I know he knows."

"You think?" Natalia asked.

"He winked at me. He knows."

"Even with the wig and glasses?" Natalia waved her hands over her head as she questioned her friend, and watched as she received a nod for an answer. "Well. H is smart. If he knows, he'll know not to say anything to anyone since you made it a point to disguise yourself. But you know that's not gonna stop him from asking _me_," she told her.

Calleigh nodded again, and let her daughter slide down her side to the safety of the floor, and ushered her son around in front of her. Natalia's eyes went wide, and the mother laughed. "Weeds, aren't they?"

"Weeds?!" Natalia couldn't believe her eyes. "More like magic beanstalks!" she laughed. "Hey, Harvey!"

Harvey met a kneeling Natalia for a hug, and smiled excitedly. He had only met Natalia once in person, but his mother made sure he got phone time with her every time she called. "Hi Aunt Nattie!"

Calleigh nudged her daughter forward lightly. "Go say hi to Aunt Nattie, Jordanna."

* * *

Stepping across the hall, she opened the door to her spare bedroom, checking on her guests that had arrived the day before. What she saw was just as she expected, given her friend's behavior the night before. When the door opened, Calleigh's head turned towards the creak. She was sitting up in the bed, leaning against the pillows. Harvey was leaning on her from the left and Jordanna from the right, and she had an arm around each. The room was tinted blue from the dull morning light seeping through the vertical blinds covering the sliding glass doors in the room. "Morning," she said quietly. "Did you get any sleep?" She watched as her still wigged friend nodded.

"Yeah, I slept for a while," Calleigh told her host softly.

"Mhmm." Natalia nodded. "And how long is 'a while,' hmm?"

Calleigh shrugged. "Two or so hours, I guess."

"Aww, honey." Natalia frowned, shoulders falling a bit. She spotted the reason for the constant wear of the sunglasses the day before. Her friend looked absolutely exhausted, and the bruising around Calleigh's left eye didn't help. But Natalia knew that he dull lighting was probably making it look worse than it really was, and despite her appearance, Calleigh smiled.

"It's fine. I'll live," she promised. "I didn't even get that much when the kids were babies. You off to work?"

"Yeah, I am." Natalia nodded. "There's coffee brewing in the pot, fresh for you when you're ready, and there's fruit in the fridge, along with juice and eggs for you and the kids for breakfast. You remember where the pots are?" Calleigh nodded again. "Good. I'll come by on my lunch hour to see if you need anything."


	2. a friend from high school

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

The drive to work was an unusually short one, and Natalia found herself a good parking spot due to the early hour. It was barely 0630. She was greeted inside the lobby by the only other soul crazy enough to be at work before he really needed to be. "Good morning, Sir."

Horatio smiled politely. "And good morning to you to as well, Ma'am." He joined Natalia as she walked down the glass-encased corridor to her lab. "You know, I haven't heard from Calleigh lately, and when I called yesterday, no one answered."

He looked at Natalia as she entered the lab, and she looked up from the papers left on her desk by the night shift. She knew what her boss was getting at. "What are you asking, H?"

"Why she was disguised when she came in yesterday. She knows she's welcome here anytime. We've all told her that."

Natalia sighed. This wasn't for her to tell. Calleigh's actions were her own business, and if she wanted to explain them, she would. And following her promise to her friend, she did the only thing she could. "I don't know what you're talking about, Horatio. That wasn't Calleigh in here yesterday." She looked at him sympathetically. "I know you miss her, but your mind is playing tricks on you."

"Well," Horatio smiled softly. "That may be so. Have you spoken with her?"

"I have. She called me last...no, two nights ago. She and her family are doing just fine."

"Good, good. But if you don't mind me asking, who was your guest yesterday?" He raised his eyebrows in interest.

_'Oh gosh,'_ Natalia thought. She hadn't been ready for that. "She's an old friend from high school. I haven't seen her for a few years, so she thought it'd be nice if she brought the kids with her for a visit. They're from Mississippi."

"Oh. Alright then." Horatio looked down at his watch, and decided he wouldn't press his lab tech any further. "Well. I'm going to...let you get started on your work. I'll check with you later for any results on the Cullen case?"

"Of course!" Natalia nodded. She'd escaped easily, she knew, but she knew that he wasn't convinced it wasn't Calleigh. Sooner or later he'd figure out that it _was_ Calleigh, and that she'd boldly lied to him. But there was also the chance that he wouldn't find out, because Calleigh was only scheduled to be here for a few days. She shook her head and let out a deep breath, pushing the lie out of her head and starting on her work.

* * *

"Momma?"

Calleigh picked up her head to find her son looking up at her. She was still sitting up, with an arm around each of her children, but her head had fallen back against he pillows. She smiled. "Good mornin', buddy." She kissed each of their heads, waking Jordanna. "You guys sleep good?"

Each nodded. "Momma, I'm hungry."

"Me too," Jordan added.

"Okay. Why don't you guys go ahead out to the kitchen, and let Momma get ready real quick, hmm?"

"Okay. But Momma?"

"What, Harvey?"

"Your phone kept going off."

Calleigh's eyes widened, but she quickly regained her composure. "You didn't answer it, did you?" Her son shook his head. "Good. Alright. Skedaddle. I'll be out to make breakfast in a minute."

The children left hand in hand, and as soon as the door closed behind them, Calleigh scrambled for the phone in her purse. She had five new voicemails. 

_"Hey, Calleigh, Just wondering where you were. It's Joni, by the way. Hurry up and get to the lab, Marshall's going on a rampage."_

_"Calleigh, I don't know where you are, but I want you home now."_

_"Calleigh, it's Joni again. Marshall says if you're not here within the hour, you're fired. I'm a little worried about you, so I'm calling Kenny. Call me when you get this and let me know you're okay?"_

_"Hey little sis, it's Kenny. Joni called, she's worried about you. So am I. I don't know what you're up to, Cal, but call me and let me know you're still alive. Love you."_

_"God dammit, I don't know where in the hell you are or what in the hell you're up to, but I want you and my kids back here right damn now or I'm callin' the cops, bitch."_

Five messages. Two from her sister-in-law, one from her oldest brother, and two from Ben. She had expected more from him. A sigh escaped her lips, and she looked towards the door. Freedom from him seemed so close, but she still felt like she couldn't have it. Like sugar on the asphalt. You could see it, but couldn't eat it. Still, even if there was no way out for her, there was no way she would let him ruin the lives of her children any longer. She slipped off the bed and out into the hallway, where she was greeted by her giggling children and a knock at the door. Her heart sunk, and she dared herself to look out the peephole. A man and a child selling candy bars. She didn't answer it. "Kids," she said. "Be a little quieter, please."

They looked up at her and followed her into the kitchen. "Yes, Momma."

Calleigh realized that she had no idea what time it was. She looked at he digital clock on the stove. Nearly noon. That surprised her, and she just about jumped out of her skin when the house phone rang. Relief washed over her when she looked at the caller ID and read 'Boa Vista, Natalia.' Grabbing the phone, she clicked it on. "Boa Vista residence."

"You're so formal," Natalia chuckled.

"It's a learned precaution," Calleigh replied.

Natalia didn't know what to say to that, because she didn't know what Calleigh meant by it. "Okay, um...How's your first day of vacation going? You three sleep alright?"

Calleigh shrugged, although her friend couldn't see it. "It's going good. We slept fine. Just woke up, actually."

"You really slept this time though, right?"

"Yes, I really slept. I fell asleep not long after you left, and Harvey woke me up about ten minutes ago," she replied. "How's work?"

"Well. I told you that your disguise wouldn't stop Horatio from asking me about you. And he did know it was you. So, we were both right," Natalia explained. "He came in saying that he hadn't heard from you in a while, and he called yesterday but no one answered. I asked him what he was trying to ask, and he wanted to know why you disguised yourself yesterday when you're welcome back anytime."

"He doesn't get it. It's not that easy. Not that simple."

"I'm not finished. I told him that it wasn't you, that it was my friend from high school who moved to Mississippi, and that you brought your kids down for a visit."

"You lied to Horatio?" Calleigh questioned.

"I didn't want to, but you asked me not to say anything," Natalia answered. "I respected that."

"Natalia." She knew she couldn't be mad at her friend for being loyal to a fault, but she never meant for Horatio to be lied to. He didn't deserve that by a long shot. She sighed, and turned on the stove. Jordanna had been tugging at her pant leg, wanting breakfast. "I guess I have to blame myself for that one. Thank you for your loyalty, though I'll be in later to tell him the truth. Maybe tomorrow." She really wasn't looking forward to it, and it showed through in her wavering tone.

"He'll never know if you don't," Natalia said, sensing Calleigh's unwillingness. "After all, you're only gonna be in Miami for a few days, right?"

She said it like it was no big deal. "Well..." Calleigh hesitated a bit more. "I don't know that, actually."

"What do you mean, you don't know that? I thought you said you could only take a few days off at a time from the lab."

"They called last night, left me a message. My boss fired me."

Natalia was quiet for a moment. "...Calleigh, what's going on?" she demanded. "You've skirted questions about Ben since you got here, and you wouldn't take those sunglasses off until you got into bed last night. I saw why, Cal. I'm a little worried about you and the kids."

"I don't wanna talk about it," Calleigh informed her, solemn and quiet. She hated keeping secrets from her best friend. Not that it was a secret anymore, as Calleigh was sure that Natalia was concocting theories as they spoke. After all, that's what the women had been trained, mostly by Horatio himself, to do. "Maybe later, okay? I have to go." She hung up the phone.

* * *

"Calleigh, wait." It was too late. She had already hung up. "Damn," Natalia sighed, and started mumbling. She set her cell down on the counter.

"Did I hear correctly?" A male voice asked.

Natalia turned around, startled, to see her fellow labrat, Eric Delko. "Depends on what you think you heard," she shrugged.

"I think I just heard you get hung up on by Calleigh." Eric's eyebrows were raised. "That's rather uncharacteristic of her. Is she alright?"

"Well. I think you're entirely too nosy," she replied as she eyed him. "Calleigh, to the best of my knowledge, is fine. She'd tell me if something were wrong."

"She didn't before," Eric pointed out.

"Oh yeah? Name once," Natalia challenged.

"Jake Berkley."

"You suck."

"No, But I like--"

Natalia held a hand up. "Spare me." Eric nodded, and chuckled a bit. Natalia didn't find much as much humor in the statement.

"But seriously, she's okay?"

"She hasn't told me that she's not."

"Okay," Eric nodded again. "Good."

Both adults looked down at the counter, eyes scanning over various papers. "Eric, did you need something?"

"No, I was being...what did you say? 'Entirely too nosy,' I believe it was." He smiled sheepishly.

"Mhmm."

Horatio stepped into the lab. "Am I interrupting?"

Both looked up at him, and Natalia immediately started wondering how much her boss had heard them say about their blond friend. "No," she smiled. "Not at all. What's up?"

Did Horatio actually have a reason for interrupting his employees' discussion? But of course. "Anything on the Cullen case yet?"


	3. phone calls and reunions

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.  


* * *

An hour had passed since Horatio had eavesdropped on Natalia Boa Vista and Eric Delko, and it was nearing the end of the day. _'Just a few more hours to go,'_ he told himself. Natalia's statement rang out in his head. _'She hasn't told me she's not.'_ He knew his friend and former employee would never just come right out with anything that was bothering her, and when Eric said 'Jake Berkley,' Horatio almost cringed. He remembered the trouble and bruises he had given Calleigh. His eyes wandered to the bottom drawer of his desk, and he jerked it open. A pile of pictures lay at the bottom, and very gently, he lifted them out. He was greeted by the smiling faces of his friends, his team, his daughter and late wife. His mind filled with memories of when the pictures were taken, and he stopped on one of Marisol. Her pregnancy was a tough one, due to the cancer, but she fought it through and won. But she had still been taken from him, at the hands of another human. It was supposed to have been a normal trip to the park... He flipped to the next picture. It was one that had been taken of his daughter the month before. Taylor was a beautiful mix of her parents, with her mother's delicate bone structure already showing through, she was built like her, with her father's fair features. Light skinned, red hair. Her eyes were blue, yes, but the right one had a spot of her mother's brown in it, perfectly off centered in the iris. She was just two, and already had Horatio wrapped tightly around her tiny pinky finger.

She never had the chance to remember her mother. And if, God forbid, any of the horrible things Horatio was thinking right now were true, Calleigh's children might have to suffer with just memories of her. He was still convinced that it was her the day before, with the short brown hair and sunglasses. It was true, what Natalia said about him missing her, but it was more than him wanting it to be her. It was him needing it to be. Without a second thought, he pulled his cell out and started pressing buttons.

* * *

The sky was turning red as he watched for movement out the front window of his Louisiana house. It was rather early for the sky to be changing, being barely three pm, but that wasn't what he was paying attention to. He was more interested in whether a car was going to be pulling into his driveway. A car containing his wife and children. He had called at least four times within the last hour or so, and twice the day before. Ben knew that she hadn't shown up to the New Orleans Crime Lab in two days, as he had made it a point to call and sound concerned. He knew she'd suffer repercussions if he had told her boss that she'd kidnapped the kids.

She'd have no job when she came home, so she'd have no choice but to keep herself at home. "Bitch doesnt need to go out anyway," he mumbled. He could take Harvey to school, grocery shop, and still have enough time to sleep before he was due in at work at four pm. Today, though, he had off, and that was what Calleigh didn't know. Today had been, and still was, all about making the house Calleigh's own personal prison, whether she was there or not. And he was very close to making that happen. The only thing he was unsure about was what he was going to do to her when he got her back. Not if he did. But when.

* * *

She awoke with a start, eyes wide and breathing heavily. Calleigh had been having a nightmare, a flashback, when her phone went off. The kids were entertained by the Rugrats on television. She grabbed at her phone, and checked the number. _'It's a Miami number,'_ she thought. "Hello?"

"Calleigh?" The voice asked.

She wasn't sure she recognized the voice. "Who is this?"

The caller sighed. She was defensive, and he wasn't sure he blamed her. She never used to be like that. "It's just Horatio, Ma'am."

"Oh." Her tone had softened considerably, as she had suddenly began to feel a tad foolish. "Hey. Sorry."

"It's quite alright. Is everything okay? You sound a little upset."

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine," she managed a chuckle to make her mood seem lighter than it really was. "How are you and Taylor? I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you in a while."

"Taylor and I are doing great. I tried to call you yesterday, but no one answered. It must've been around six, you were probably eating dinner with your husband and kids," he said. "How are they?"

"The kids are good," Calleigh nodded. "Harvey's just started school last month. First grade, he really likes it. Jordan stays with my brother until I can pick her up after work."

"And Ben?" Horatio asked, curious to know just how much she'd give away. Calleigh wasn't one to ask for help, but Horatio knew how to read her well enough, knew when she needed it. "How's he doing?"

Calleigh hesitated, and she heard Horatio sigh.

"Calleigh, if something's wrong, you can tell me. You know that, Sweetheart."

"Nobody answered because I'm out of town. I took the kids on vacation." She had pretended not to hear his statement. "My car's in your parking lot." Wait. What was she doing? She hadn't wanted anyone but Natalia to know she was there, and here she was volunteering this information freely.

"You're here?" He sounded confused. He didn't hear city noises in the background, and he peeked through the blinds of his office at the parking lot. He didn't see her.

"Not at the lab, no." She watched the kids walk from the living room into the bedroom. "But I am in town."

"So it was you yesterday," he concluded.

"See, I knew you knew. But Natalia didn't believe me," she laughed. "She only lied because I asked her to. Don't be mad at her. I just didn't want anyone to know I was here, Horatio."

Horatio ran a hand through his fiery hair. He wasn't mad so much as confused. She _asked_ Natalia to lie? "Why wouldn't you want anyone to know you were in town? I don't understand."

That wasn't something you heard Horatio say very often. Calleigh was messing with a lock of her long blonde hair when she heard her daughter shriek in the other room. She jumped off the couch. "Horatio, I'll call you back," she told him as both children started crying, and hung up the phone.

* * *

Horatio rushed to the lobby, quickly telling the receptionist that he'd be back in a while. Jumping into his personal vehicle, he sped for Natalia's house, knocking rapidly on the front door when he arrived. Calleigh's heart started beating at light speed when she heard it, and slowly made her way to the door. "Calleigh?!" Horatio called through the barrier.

She recognized his voice this time, and exhaled loudly. Making sure he was alone, she pulled open the heavy door. "Horatio," she said simply. He looked at her, bewildered. A small girl was in Calleigh's arms, and looked like she had been crying. She had emerald green eyes, long wispy blond hair. It was what Horatio imagined Calleigh had looked like as a child. Calleigh moved to the side. "Come in."

Sitting on the couch was a boy with chestnut colored hair, hazel eyes and a skin tone darker than his mother and sister's, but he still looked so much like Calleigh it was crazy. He looked as if he had been crying as well, with a red splotch just above his left brow. "Are they alright?" He asked, and noticed one of the girl's fingers was bandaged.

"Yeah," Calleigh said as her daughter lay her head against her shoulder, and the mother kissed the top of the girl's head. "Harvey got a hold of my nail clippers, and decided his sister's nails were too long. He cut one too far down, so she grabbed a remote and cracked him on the head with it." The look on Horatio's face was a humorous one. "Welcome to my world," she laughed, and rested her head lightly on Jordanna's. Horatio shook his head and laughed as well. "Harvey, you remember Momma talkin' about Mr. H, don'tcha?" The small boy simply nodded, raising the ice pack his mother had given him to his head once more. "Jordanna, this is Momma's friend Mr. H. Can you say hi?"

The girl mumbled something, and Horatio laughed again. "I'll take that." He smiled and waved at the small girl. "Hi, Jordanna." He looked at Calleigh, their eyes meeting briefly before she looked down. "They're perfect, Calleigh."

Her gaze was fixed upon the floor, but that didn't stop her from smiling, her face turning slightly pink. "Thanks," she said as she looked up from the floor. But her smile faded when she saw Horatio's furrowed brow. "What's wrong?"

"Cal, what happened to your eye?" He watched as she turned completely away now, and he tilted his head a bit. She wasn't going to answer him. Instead, she grabbed her vibrating phone off the coffee table. Glancing at the caller ID, she quickly pressed the 'Ignore' button before turning the phone completely off. "Who was that?"

"Nobody, Horatio." She tucked it in her pocket and shook her head. Jordanna mumbled something, and Calleigh looked at her. "What, Baby?" Jordanna mumbled again, and Calleigh sighed. "Momma doesn't have a boo boo. Mr. H is just bein' silly." She let her daughter slip carefully to the floor and the girl attached herself to her mother's leg. "Why don't you and Brother go take your naps? Y'all are gettin' cranky." She watched as Harvey jumped off the couch and stomped into the bedroom ahead of his sister. "I'll be in in a minute," Calleigh called after them. Her gaze was once again fixed on the floor as she took a seat on the couch opposite Horatio.

Horatio watched her carefully, questions floating around frantically in his mind. "I'm concerned, Calleigh." She didn't say anything, and she didn't look at him. His phone rang, and he looked at her a moment longer before reaching for it. "Lieutenant Caine." The voice on the other end sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher to Calleigh. "Alright, I'll be right there." He hung up, and tucked his phone away once again. "I have to go," he told her, and moved over to her. He kissed the top of her head before heading to the door. "Call me if you need anything, okay Sweetheart?" He made sure she answered him with at least a nod before stepping out and shutting the door behind him.


	4. a day of arrangements

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

"H!" Ryan Wolfe exclaimed. "Where were you? We looked all over."

"I had something I needed to check on," Horatio told him. "What have you got for me?"

Ryan handed him a piece of paper. "We've got a sketch of the suspect. The unconscious victim in the hospital finally woke up. Didn't remember a lot of what happened, but remembered what the guy looked like. "

"Have we made a match with any of our blood samples yet?"

"No, not yet. We still have to go back and do a second sweep through the place. We've been given permission to go back tomorrow, with assurance that nothing's been touched. They said the tape's still up."

"Good. Let's hope it stays that way," Horatio said as he looked from the paper to Ryan, and walked off.

* * *

Ben called T-Mobile, and was currently in the process of having them locate his wife's phone via the GPS chip installed. His story was that they had lost it on their vacation. "Okay, Mr. Jones. I've pulled up the phone records and it was used just about two hours ago. The GPS reads...south Florida."

"Oh?" Ben asked. "Where at in south Florida?"

"In the Miami area, it looks like. Would you like me to disable the phone?"

"No," he said. "But do you have a direct number that I can reach you specifically at? Because I will want to disable it tomorrow."

"...Of course, sir." The T-Mobile agent gave him a cell number, and the call was disconnected. Ben smiled wickedly and jumped in his truck, on his way to book a red eye flight to Miami.

* * *

It had been hours since Ben Jones had arrived in Miami, as the sun was rising, and he knew exactly where to look for his wife. He got directions from a gas station attendant to the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, and was disappointed when he didn't find her car in the parking lot. But when he saw it pulling out of the lot, without the kids, his eyes lit up. He had to follow her. He had to know where she was going. He stealthily kept his distance from her as he followed her every move, and she lead him to a dirt road, trees and the Florida Everglades on either side of the road. _'Where in the hell is she going?'_ he wondered as she slowed to a stop. Her car sat in a clearing, beside an old building with a rotting sign at the top. _'An abandoned store. Is she serious right now?'_ He understood why she was here when he saw her put on a pair of latex gloves and enter the store. Had they hired her back? He quietly got out of the truck he had rented, and made his way up to the ajar front door, peeking in before fully entering. Only the top of Calleigh's head was visible, as she was kneeling behind a counter. This was going to be easy for him.

He slipped inside silently, unnoticed, and tiptoed around the bigger pieces of broken glass on the floor. A hand reached out as soon as he was close enough, and he took a handful of Calleigh's blonde hair. The other hand flew to cover her mouth. "Scream, and I'll very easily break your neck," the voice grunted in her ear. She knew the voice instantly. He picked her up by the handful of hair he had, and slammed her harshly into the nearest wall. She hit hard with the left side of her body, her upper arm and shoulder taking the brunt of it. She turned so her back was against the wall, and started to slide down. But Ben was there to help her up with a hand around her throat. "Having fun on your Miami vacation, Babe?" Calleigh was visibly in pain, and it only made Ben laugh. "Aw, what's the matter? Did my surprise visit ruin it for you?" He watched as his wife tried to speak. He slapped her across the face. "I asked a question, but I don't remember asking you to answer!!" He screamed. The woman whimpered and gasped for air, her husband's hold getting tighter around her throat. She bit her bottom lip in a desperate attempt to stay conscious. Her hands were, of course, on his arm, trying to pull herself up for breaths, but she was smart enough to have taken her gloves off.

Calleigh dug her nails into Ben's left arm, which was holding her up against the wall. "Not a bright idea, Honey." All she could do was glare at him, and think of how much her kids meant to her to make this next move. This would save or kill her. Quicker than Ben knew what was happening, Calleigh had reached up with both hands and raked her nails deeply down her husband's face. He immediately dropped his hold on her, grabbing his face. "You simple bitch!" he yelled. Calleigh saw this as her prime time to run. Getting to her feet with a hard shove against the ground, she felt the broken glass pierce the palms of her hands and the tips of her fingers. Ben looked up wildly at the sound, and went after her. She was his property, and that would never change. He dove for her and fell short, but was close enough to grab her ankle. She fell forward with a painful thud, thankfully on a clear part of the floor, but the right side of her face smacked against it. She was pouring blood and out cold when Ben pulled her to him. He angrily picked her up like a rag doll, and just for kicks and giggles, threw her into another wall, his main purpose to watch her slump to the floor.

And then, he was done. Ben stomped over to her, picked her up, and took her outside to throw her in the back seat of her car from the side farthest from the building. But before closing the door, he took her cell phone, and took out his own. Dialing the number the T-Mobile agent had given him the day before, he grinned. "This is Benjamin Jones, I spoke to you yesterday? You can disable that second phone line now." He hung up, dropped Calleigh's phone on the ground, and stomped it. He spat on his wife before kicking the door shut, getting into his truck, and driving off.

* * *

Horatio made his way into the lab where Natalia and Eric were hard at work. "Good morning, H!"

"Good morning," he said with a nod. "Have either of you heard from Calleigh? She was supposed to call me when she got to the scene."

That caught Natalia and Eric's attention. "Calleigh's working a scene?" Eric asked, more than a little confused. He hadn't known that she was even in the city.

"How long ago should she have been there?" Natalia questioned.

Horatio looked at both. "We were granted permission to go back and take a second look at the crime scene, and I asked her to do the honors. But she should have been there an hour ago," he told them, watching their concern grow. "I've tried calling her. She must've turned her cell phone service off."

"H, if she's on a scene, where are the kids?" Natalia asked.

"Relax, Miss Boa Vista," Horatio smiled. "I've made arrangements to have them watched at Taylor's child care center today."

"I think we should go out there, H," Eric stated. "She's probably just somewhere that her cell doesn't get service. But just to be safe..."

"I think, Mr. Delko," Horatio started, "that is a very good idea."

"Okay, when you guys know, let _me_ know, will ya?" Natalia chuckled.

"Will do, Ma'am," her boss nodded, and headed out the door with Eric.

* * *

The scene looked undisturbed at first glance, with the exception of the fresh tire treads from Calleigh's car, and footprints around the car itself. The car appeared empty, and both men looked at one another, deciding to make their way to the door with a nod of Eric's head. With a simple sweep around the room, Eric didn't see anything wrong. Horatio was looking at the pictures in the file he held, and saw something in the room that should not have been there. A blood smear, looking relatively fresh. "Calleigh, are you here?" he called out. "Eric, I want you to take pictures of that blood smear, collect a sample and take it back to the lab. Calleigh's DNA should be on file, compare it to hers."

Eric looked at Horatio like he was insane. "Wait, what? You think it's hers?" True, Calleigh was no where to be found, but to Eric, that didn't constitute Calleigh's blood being the blood that was smeared down the wall.

"Just do it, Eric," Horatio answered, and walked outside to her car. Large footprints lead around to the far side of the car, Calleigh's feet being too small to be the feet that made the impressions in the dirt. Those footprints lead to a smashed cell phone. He identified it as being the phone that Calleigh had shoved into her pocket the day before, but what he saw when his eyes trailed to the car's window was certainly not expected. His eyes went wide. "Calleigh," he said. He looked her over through the window. From what he could see, there were lacerations on the palms of her hands, and from the elbow to the shoulder of her left arm was taking on a tint in a blue-violet shade, visible thanks to the tank top she was wearing that day. "Eric!" he called, pulling out his phone. "This is Lieutenant Horatio Caine with the MDPD, we need an ambulance to ten-five-oh-four Carswell Road..."

Eric snapped the cap on the case around the blood sample, careful not to disturb too much of the already destroyed crime scene on his rush out. He needed to rephotograph it, now that a second crime had apparently occurred. "What's wrong, H?" Eric stepped over to the near side of the car, and for a moment, he had no idea he was looking at Calleigh. "Shit!" He popped the door open, her head on his side of the car, and reached in to check her for a pulse. He immediately looked up at Horatio, and nodded. "She's got one, but it could be stronger," he informed.

"Put a rush on it. It's a former member of my team," Horatio instructed the operator.

The sirens wailed closer, arriving exactly eleven minutes after the call was made. The noise brought Calleigh around. With her eyes still closed, she winced in pain and let out a soft groan. "Calleigh?" Eric asked. He looked up at Horatio. "H, she's awake."

He crossed to the opposite side of the car, and kneeled in the open door space. "Calleigh, Sweetheart. It's Horatio. I want you to lay very still so the paramedics can get you on the stretcher." He saw her open her eyes and listened as she groaned again, but she made no movements.

" 'Kay," she mumbled. The EMTs loaded her onto the stretcher while keeping her as still as possible, but there was still an adequate amount of pain shooting through her body. She looked at both men as she was wheeled over to the ambulance. "Come with me," she managed before she disappeared into the truck.

Horatio hadn't seen the right side of her face until that point. It was covered in blood, matted in her hair and contrasted greatly against her green eyes. His heart sunk, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Eric's.

"Go ahead, man. I'll follow behind in my Hummer."

Horatio didn't have to be told twice, climbing into the back of the ambulance just as they were about to take off, and grabbed a seat next to Calleigh's head. He watched her watch him, and after a few minutes her eyelids started to flutter. He knew the EMTs had administered drugs via IV, and that she was fighting the sleep they were forcing her into to stay awake for him. "Don't fight it, Calleigh. Close your eyes. I got you," he assured her as he stroked her hair gently.

She did as he said. "Love you, Handsome," she whispered as she quickly drifted off.

* * *

"Horatio," Eric said as he entered the emergency room waiting area. He had gotten stuck in traffic. "I called Natalia, she's on her way, and Ryan, who's heading out to the scene to finish processing. How's Calleigh?"

Horatio nodded and turned to his friend. "She could be better, but she's stable, they've assured me that much. That's all we can ask for."

"Any word on the extent of her injuries?"

"I think we can ask the nurse, she's coming our way now," Horatio pointed.

"Lieutenant Caine?" She asked.

"What have you got for me?"

The nurse cleared her throat, and sighed. "Well, your friend got lucky. Mostly just bruises. Around her throat, along the upper part of her left arm, running from the shoulder to just above the elbow. The right side of her face. There was a bruise around her left eye, but we're confident that was sustained before this incident."

"And beyond the bruising?" Natalia asked hurriedly, approaching her male co-workers, looking close to tears. Eric tucked her under his arm.

"Well. There were lacerations on the palms of her hands and her fingertips, and on the right side of her face. She's lucky her cheek bone isn't broken. Whatever she hit, she hit it hard. But she's got a sprained ankle and two broken fingers. Her left shoulder was jammed pretty good, so she'll have to wear a sling to limit her mobility for a while."

Horatio's blood was boiling. He did his job to the best of his ability so his loved ones would stay safe, and here the woman he cared for the most was lying in the hospital despite his best efforts, the only one he couldn't save. He nodded, still processing her injuries, and looked to Natalia and Eric. They were pulling out of a hug. "Can we see her?"

"Sure! She just woke up, but I have to ask that only two go in at a time."

"Alright," Horatio nodded. "Eric, do you have your kit?" Eric nodded. "Go get it, your collecting on this. Natalia," he sighed. "I want you to take my keys. Get Taylor's car seat out of my car, and Jordanna's out of yours. Put them both in my Hummer, and take all three kids to my place. Keep them there with you. I'll call the day care provider to let them know to release them to you."

"Who's processing?" she asked.

"Miss Valera will," he told her, and flipped open his phone to call Tripp.


	5. porcelain dolls

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

The door closed softly, and Calleigh turned her head towards the noise. "Horatio, Eric," She said softly. "Where are the kids? Are my kids okay?"

"Shh," Horatio soothed her. "They're fine. Natalia's going to get them now." He started stroking her hair gently again. "Do you remember what happened?"

Calleigh nodded, but she certainly didn't want to. She didn't want to tell him, either.

"Okay. Frank is gonna be here soon, he's gonna take your statement. Eric's going to process you for trace."

"No. Horatio, no." She shook her head as much as she could without causing herself pain. "I don't want this investigated. I don't want to be processed. And I don't want to give a formal statement."

Eric stood by the door, and he looked at his fragile friend laying in the hospital bed. Out of the whole team, he was the one most out of the loop right now. The only thing he knew was that Calleigh had hung up on Natalia the other day, and now she was laying in a hospital bed. "Cal..."

Horatio simply shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I'm afraid I'm not giving you a choice this time." Her eyes silently pleaded with his, but he just shook his head again. He hated seeing her like this, hated having this happen to her. And if it were up to him, it would be the last time it did. He looked back to he man standing by the door. "Eric?"

Eric pushed himself off the wall, setting his kit on the end of Calleigh's bed, and pulled on a pair of gloves. "Do you know the guy that did this?" He looked at her, as did Horatio, but she looked at neither of them and kept her mouth shut. "Cal?"

"I scratched him, with both hands. There should be epithelials under all of my nails." She watched as Horatio rose, allowing Eric access to her uninjured arm, but he continued to stroke her hair. There was only two people that she would let do it -- Horatio, and her father. Eric was gentle with her hands, as they were riddled with cuts, and Calleigh could barely feel him scraping at her nail beds. He took pictures of her injuries until Frank Tripp arrived.

When he walked in, Calleigh's stomach felt as if someone had filled it with cement. Horatio had been serious about her not having a choice, but it wouldn't be so bad if it was someone she didn't know on a personal level taking her statement.

"Heya, Calleigh," Frank said solemnly. "It's good to see ya, despite the situation. We miss havin' ya around here."

She knew he was fishing for a smile, so she gave him a small one. "Hi, Frank."

"Atta girl, " he smiled back. "Let's get started, huh?" He watched as Calleigh nodded unwillingly, and heard the click of the door behind him. He looked back, only to find Horatio and Eric gone.

* * *

After her interview with Frank, Horatio sent Eric back to the lab to help Valera process the trace he had lifted of Calleigh. Ryan had processed the scene and Calleigh's car. Horatio himself stepped back into the room with Calleigh, not too surprised to see the woman trying to hide the fact that she had been crying. He sat with her on the bed, an arm around her as she leaned against him, until she fell asleep. That took all of about fifteen minutes. He looked at her for a long moment after she did, kissing her forehead lightly, whispering to her. "I love you too, Beautiful."

He reentered the waiting area, to see a scrub-wearing Alexx Woods jogging up to him. "Oh, Horatio! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

"Good evening to you too, Alexx," he smiled.

"I heard about Calleigh. How's she holding up? I hear she's got some pretty nasty injuries."

"She does, but the only people who know what happened are Calleigh, Frank, and the bastard that did it," Horatio sighed. "She's as good as we can hope for in this situation."

"She's such a fighter," Alexx smiled. "Who has her kids?"

"Natalia picked them up from the day care earlier," he replied. "I had her take them to my house. Is this where you're working now?"

Alexx nodded. "Sure is," she told him. "I just clocked out."

The two spent two and a half hours, talking and catching up on each others' lives, interrupted only by the ring of Horatio's phone. "Excuse me, Ma'am." Alexx nodded. It was Eric telling him the results of the blood comparison and the skin samples.

"You were right about the blood being hers, H, that was obvious once you found her. But the nail scrapings. Did Calleigh's husband come down with her?"

Horatio frowned. "No, he didn't."

"Well then, he wasn't too fond of her midnight field trip with the kids," Eric replied. "By the amount of skin I collected from underneath her nails, Calleigh got Ben pretty good. It was all his."

"So Ben did do this?" Horatio questioned as Alexx's expression turned from curiosity to concern. "Analyze the pictures you took in the morning, Eric. Go home and get some rest. Thank you." He flipped his phone shut, leaving no room for protest from the other man.

Alexx looked appalled. "_Ben_ did that to her?" She watched as Horatio sighed and nodded.

"It certainly seems that way, doesn't it Miss Woods?"

"Horatio, call Natalia and check on her and the kids. I'm gonna go check on Calleigh." She made her way tot he nurse's station, walking with that 'woman on a mission' attitude. "Hey, Brenda. Can I get the room number for Calleigh Jones, please?"

She made her way to the room, entering only after knocking softly.

Calleigh looked truly surprised to see the woman. "Alexx."

"Hey, Baby," Alexx smiled. "I wanted to see how you were holding up."

"I'm fine," Calleigh assured her friend as she sat down next to her.

"You sure don't look fine." Alexx's eyebrows were raised.

Calleigh chuckled. "I know," she said. "You didn't have to come down. I didn't even know they called you."

Alexx laughed a bit. "Oh, Honey. They didn't call me, I just know everything. Didn't I ever tell you that?" Calleigh shook her head, smiling. "How long's this been goin' on, Baby doll?"

Calleigh looked confused. "I dunno what you're talkin' about."

"I know Ben did this to you," Alexx said, face serious now. "Tell me how long it's been happening."

The blond hesitated. "I thought you knew everything."

"Okay, I embellished a little." Alexx tilted her head, and gently took one of Calleigh's injured hands in her own. "Talk to me."

Calleigh teared up, looking away from the woman, shaking her head. "I'm not ready," she whispered.

* * *

Natalia looked comically harried as she rushed into the ER waiting area, carrying Jordanna and Taylor, both sleeping on her shoulders, and making sure Harvey was close behind her. Horatio had to laugh at the sight as he took Taylor from her.

"Yeah, hilarious." Natalia apparently didn't find the situation as humorous as Horatio did.

"My apologies, Ma'am." He kisses the top of his daughter's head, and held his other arm out. "Want me to take her too? I don't mind."

Natalia nodded and handed over the second small girl before having a seat. "Have a seat, Harvey. We're gonna be here for a while." He sat down next to her on the hard couch, leaning sleepily against her. She put a tentative arm around him. Horatio was sitting down as well, on the couch opposite Natalia, with a girl sitting on each leg. They were both sleeping soundly against his chest. "Any news on her?"

The man nodded. "But I don't find it appropriate to discuss while he's still awake." He motioned to Harvey.

Natalia nodded. "Okay." She took this time to take in the sight of her boss, holding the two sleeping girls. They looked like porcelain dolls, and he looked at ease with them. The three of them together looked perfect. She couldn't help but smile.

Horatio looked confused as he caught her smiling at him out of the corner of his eye. "What?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing." They sat together for twenty minutes before Harvey fell asleep, and Natalia noticed as soon as he did. "What's the news?" she asked again.

"She's still stable, but was unwilling to let us do our job," he told her. "But she did give Frank a statement, and afterwards I sat with her until she fell asleep."

Natalia's smile widened a bit, but Horatio didn't seem to notice. She knew if anyone else had tried to sit there with Calleigh, she wouldn't have it.


	6. pride is the deadliest sin

DISCLAIMER || I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

A/N || This this a rather short chapter, and the story will eventually turn into a DuCaine fic. I think. Sorry about the slow update, but please read & review! I love me some reviews. The more you give, the faster I write. If you have any ideas about what I should add, send those too. I'll credit ya. :]

* * *

"Is she still asleep?" Natalia asked.

"No," Horatio said, shaking his head. "Alexx went up to check on her. And judging by the amount of time she's been up there, I don't think she is."

Alexx? Wow. That was something that Natalia didn't expect. "Did Cal mention who did it?

Horatio shook his head again. "But we know Ben did it," he informed her, watching her expression turn to one of disgust. "Eric asked her if she knew the man who did it. She ignored the question, but told us that she scratched his face. Eric ran the samples, and they all came back a match to Ben."

Natalia's arm tightened around Harvey's shoulders before pulling the boy up onto her lap. He was still sound asleep. "Gosh," she seethed. "What a monster. Makes you wonder what he did to the kids."

"It definitely does, ma'am," Horatio said as he looked down at the sleeping girls in his arms. "It definitely does."

* * *

Alexx sat with Calleigh in silence for a while, and could tell that the patient was getting agitated. "Alexx," Calleigh finally said. "I'd really appreciate some time alone. To think."

"Alright, Baby." Alexx gave her long-time friend a warm smile. "If you need anything, just press the call button. I'll let the nurses know where to find me, okay?"

Calleigh nodded, watching the other woman walk out the door, shutting it behind her. She sighed, and caught her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking about the question Alexx had posed. When had all this started? Picking out her wedding dress had been a chore, but not because she had to find a dress that didn't show her bruises. It had been a chore because she was six and a half months pregnant. So it had definitely started after the wedding.

She remembered. Calleigh remembered the very first time that Ben had ever hit her. It was three months after Harvey was born, so a little over five months into the marriage. A couple should still be in that "newlywed bliss" stage. Ben and Calleigh Jones' bliss...it didn't last that long at all.

* * *

"Hey, Darlin'," Calleigh smiled as her new husband walked in the door, approaching him for a kiss.

"Hey Baby," Ben said, returning her kiss somewhat dismissively. "I'm not gonna be home long. I'm gettin' changed an' meetin' the boys down at the bar."

Calleigh shook her head. "I've got dinner almost ready to go on the table. I'm gonna need your help with cleanin' up and gettin Harvey ready for bed. Why don't you stay home and go tomorrow night?" she asked, snaking a hand up her husband's chest.

"No." Ben pushed her hand away. "I'm goin' tonight. Put the leftovers in the microwave for me. I'll eat your cookin' later." His shirt had already been taken off and he was halfway to their bedroom.

Following her husband into their bedroom, she was unsure if that comment was supposed to be an insult. "Ben," she said, "I'd really appreciate it if you stayed home tonight." She was staying calm, trying not to let this bother her. "You meet the guys at the bar almost every night. One night at home with your son and wife is not goin' to kill ya. Besides." Calleigh flashed a sexy smile, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulders, moving towards her husband seductively. "It'll be worth your while..."

She reached up to put her arms around his neck and kiss him, put he grabbed her wrists, tighter than she expected. He leaned down so his face was in hers, and she wasn't sure if she should be afraid or not. "Don't worry about my while. I'll get it when I get home," he assured her and pushed her forcefully away from him.

The push was hard enough to make her hit the wall, smacking the back of her head against it. "Don't push me, what's wrong with you?" she asked, getting angry now. "You're actin' like it's a crime for me to want you at home for a night."

She wasn't expecting to bit hit. But his strong hand flew out, striking her with a sickening sound, stinging her face. Her own hand immediately flew to her face, and she looked at him in disbelief. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open. Did that really just happen? Ben did nothing but smirk. "Want me gone now, don'tcha?" he asked, amused and pleased with himself. When she just stood there, looking at him, he laughed and slipped a shirt over his head.

"Fine. You wanna leave? Go, get out." Calleigh turned around and started for the bedroom door, but stopping just before she reached it. She looked over her shoulder at him. "But when you get home, you'll find everything you need to make a bed on the couch left out for you."

"It don't matter what you leave out for me," he started as he locked eye contact with her, "I'm still gettin' my while with you, woman."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Not tonight you're not." She faced the door and continued her way out. When he arrived home later that night, he took it from her anyway.

* * *

Catching a tear as it rolled down her cheek, Calleigh's thoughts turned to her children. How would she protect them? Or explain that they wouldn't be seeing Daddy anymore? She knew she had to get away from Ben, and the only place she wanted to be right now was in Miami. She knew it well, and her closest friends were here. Even after years of being away, she was still comfortable in the sunny city. But if she stayed here, Ben would always know where she was, where she lived, worked, and where the kids went to school. Horatio would offer her protection, she knew, but she couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be able to follow through on it. Not that he wouldn't, but that he couldn't. After all, she was lying in a hospital bed now, wasn't she? No, that wasn't fair. She trusted Horatio completely. She knew the only reason that he hadn't been able to help and protect her was because she wouldn't admit that she needed it. Calleigh was aware that she had a problem with her pride, and her brothers, Kenny more than Tyler, had always said her pride would be the death of her. Who knew that they'd be right?


	7. the news has spread

**DISCLAIMER** || I **don't own** any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

**A/N** || This will eventually turn into a DuCaine fic, I think. Sorry about the slow updates, but **please read & review!** I love me some reviews. The more you give, the faster I write. If you have any ideas about what I should add, send those too. I'll credit ya. :]

* * *

Alexx Woods had just finished giving instructions to the nurses at the front desk, if Calleigh's call button was lit or if anyone came to visit her, she was to be notified. She smirked as she approached her old friends, her old team. The sight of them sitting with the kids curled up against them was precious to her. She had always known that Horatio would make a good father, but honestly didn't think that he'd ever cut his work schedule back for that commitment. It surprised her when he did, when it was told that Marisol was pregnant with Taylor. "Well you all certainly look comfy," she mentioned quietly as her smirk became a full blown smile. She only recognized two of the children: Taylor, of course, and Harvey, who she hadn't seen since the boy was three. He was a lot bigger, but he still looked the same as Alexx remembered him. She eyed the small blond child sharing Horatio's chest as a pillow with Taylor. "That must be Jordan. Oh, isn't she a doll?"

"And a Momma's girl," Natalia offered. "All she wanted today was to see her mother, kept asking for her all afternoon. Seems like Calleigh's got herself a shadow."

Horatio reached around the small girl's head to sweep the hair out of her face. Alexx couldn't believe how much the girl looked like her mother. "Oh my gosh! A shadow? A miniature is more like it."

"That's what I thought," Horatio chuckled but was careful not to wake the slumbering children. Alexx sat down next to Natalia, who was still holding Harvey on her lap. "We'll have to have the children checked out as well." He looked to Alexx. "Is the attending physician a reputable one at this hour?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "As soon as she clocks in, she'll be fantastic." She rose to her feet. "Follow me."

Alexx led them to an examination room, leaving briefly to clock in as per hospital policy. She took Harvey in first, checking over his general health, for sickness before looking for anything else. Once he was deemed free of illness, she checked for bruises and physical markings that weren't supposed to be there. Cuts, bruises, things of that nature. Filling out a report as she went, she found several scars that resided on the back of the boy's neck and shoulders. She noted those and the almost faded bruises on various parts of Harvey's body. Other than those, she could only find one injury that any six year old boy would have: skinned knees. She performed the same examination on Jordan, filling out a report for her as well. Emerging with the small girl, she watched as Jordan ran directly for her brother, only to be scooped up by Natalia in the end.

Horatio and Natalia looked at the examiner. "Well?" Natalia asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Well," Alexx started, opening Harvey's file. "Harvey has multiple bruises, they were almost completely faded. When I asked him how he got them, he said he was playing. But when I asked him how he got the scars on the back of his neck and his shoulders, he said he didn't know. They look like burn scars. Other than that, and a good case of playground knees, he's fine."

"Wait, burn scars?" Natalia questioned. "Like, from cigarettes or something bigger?"

"Some of them could be from cigarettes, but a few are too big for that. Now Jordan," Alexx began as she opened the second file, "has several small cuts and some bruising, but she only has three cigarette-sized scars on the inside of her left ankle. Now I noticed a pattern between the bruises on both children. Most are thin and rectangular, and not going in any specific direction. So I'm guessing they're from a belt. The ones that don't fit that pattern fit a second. They're too thin to be a belt, maybe...an electrical cord?"

Jordan shook her head, and Natalia spoke. "No?"

"Don't say nothin', Jo," Harvey instructed his sister.

"What does your daddy use, Harvey?" Horatio asked. The boy mumbled something and shrugged his shoulders, but he didn't have to answer.

Jordan answered for him. "Daddy gets switches."

Harvey reached up and pinched his sister's leg. "Shut up, Jordan!" She squealed and tried to slap his hand.

Horatio pulled the boy towards him. Watching the exchange between the siblings left Natalia completely lost. "What in the world is a switch?"

"A switch, Miss Boa Vista, is a long but very thin, flexible twig from a tree, often used in place of a belt," Horatio offered.

"And unfortunately, that's not the first time we've heard that." Alexx frowned and shook her head. "Poor babies. I just can't believe that Ben did this. He's always seemed like such a nice guy."

"Yeah, well. The nice guys are usually the biggest creeps," Natalia huffed. She knew that from her work, yes, but also from personal experience. Jordan laid her head on the woman's shoulder, her eyes drooping again. Natalia rubbed the toddler's back. "H, let's go back out to the waiting room."

Horatio nodded, Alexx clocked back out and led the way once again. As they took their seats in the waiting room, the man was in deep thought. It was something he had pondered many times, and every time he had come to the conclusion that it was just human nature. But now that it was someone he cared for, now that it was Calleigh, he thought about it in more depth about it. How could someone hurt something they created, something as precious as a child? Or the person they created that child with? He knew that ultimately, it just came down to brain chemicals. Or so that's what scientists said. Whatever it was that caused it, it still blew his mind.

* * *

"We're told that the woman attacked yesterday was a tourist who used to live here," the bottle blond on the 6 AM news show said, informing the public. Horatio was still in the hospital's waiting room with the children, Natalia and Alexx having gone home a few hours ago. He wasn't quite sure how the media had gotten wind of Calleigh's attack. He knew that Ryan Wolfe had a history with leaking details to the public, but was sure that he wasn't the case. "She's a former member of the Miami-Dade Police Department, and is in stable condition at a local hospital. Her name has not yet been released. More on that when we have more information."

He had a certain dislike for the media. When they were trying to help a case, the often hindered it instead, and this was Calleigh's case they were hindering. This would be on the news all day, and Ben would know that Calleigh was still alive. Horatio was already expecting an attempt by Ben to get his children back, though he had no intentions of letting that happen. He watched as Harvey sat up straight in the chair, waking up. "Hey there." The boy mumbled a hello. "You wanna go up and say hello to your mommy?"

Harvey looked up at the man with his hazel eyes filled with sleep. "Yeah, can we?"

Horatio nodded. "Of course, son. Let's go." Standing up and picking both girls up off the couch, he managed not to wake them up. "This way, son." Leading Harvey to the elevators and down the hallway to Calleigh's room on the 5th floor, Harvey cracked the door open.

"Harvey…" Calleigh heard the door open, and turned to look at who was coming in. She held her right arm out to her son, and he ran to her. Her eyes welled up as she kissed the top of the boys head. "Buddy, Momma is so sorry…I love you, bud." She felt Harvey's arms wrap around her, and she could tell he was being gentle as he mumbled that he loved her too. She smiled at him, kissed his cheek, and looked up at Horatio. "Hey."

"Good morning, Ma'am. How are you feeling?"

"As good I'm gonna get, I guess," Calleigh sighed. "Were the kids much trouble?"

Horatio shook his head. "None at all." Walking over to the bed, Harvey moved out of the way and Horatio set Jordan down on the bed next to her mother. She was starting to wake up. "Natalia said that all Jordan could talk about yesterday was you. Son, why don't you pull up that chair so you can sit next to your mom, hmm?"

Harvey did as he was told and Calleigh hugged Jordan to her with her uninjured arm, kissing the child's head. "I hope she was telling her good things," she chuckled. "She's always right on my heels whenever I'm at home. Jo's my personal little intern." A smile crossed her face as she looked down at both of her children, Jordan cuddling closer to her mother. Calleigh looked back up to her former boss, her dearly beloved friend. "Horatio…thank you."


	8. the memories of goodbye

**DISCLAIMER ||** I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

**A/N || **This is a somewhat slow chapter, but it's stuff that I needed to get out of the way and I'm promising more for the next. Please read & review! I love me some reviews. The more you give, the faster I write.

**KUDOS || **Great thanks to **xXThePostXx, chi-chi-chillin, LA Calleigh, black-dahlia75, **and **aussiemiamifan** for their reviews and feedback. Much love you guys, and keep the reviews comin'! [**LA Calleigh,** that happens to be something we're fond of sayin' here in Florida, too. =D ]

* * *

Staring out the window, Calleigh didn't agree with Horatio when he said that there was no need to thank him. There was, he had saved her life more than once and it was long overdue. And thanks were definitely in order, since he was keeping her children safe now, with Natalia's help, of course. She and Natalia had been best friends for years, though the friendship started out rocky. This trip had been the first time that she had seen Natalia and Alexx in just over three years, when they flew out for a weekend visit. It had been something that Ben wasn't happy about, though he was just as charming as could be while they were there. She hadn't seen the rest of the team since she had moved.

God…how could she let so much time go by since the last time she had seen her friends? These people had been her family while she lived here, and she had just…left without so much as a warning. Well, she had given them warning, but it wasn't much of one. A message on each of their cell phones [with the exception of Horatio's] was certainly not an appropriate way to say good-bye, and neither was a letter, though she had done both. But, in fairness, she had given each of them a good hug and a solid "Good-bye," a certain tone in her voice that lead to each of her friends giving her a weird look as she turned to leave. That last hug she gave Horatio, it didn't last as long as she would've liked, though he was a married man, and she had to respect that. She took with her a mental reminder of the way he smelled in that moment, the strong feeling of his arms around her, the way they fit perfectly into each others' arms…

Memories from the last group outing that they had before she left made its way into her mind, and she reflected on a promise to Natalia that she had broken more than once over the last nine years.

* * *

"I'm goin' to the ladies' room, I'll be right back!" Calleigh set her beer down on the table, got up and pushed her chair in. They had been talking about the places they'd grown up, and while she had participated in the conversation, it was starting to get a little uncomfortable for her. She couldn't say she liked talking about her childhood in Darnell, and the less the team knew, the better. The only one she had gone into depth about her childhood with was Horatio. And he wasn't here with them tonight, so there was no point of trying. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, turning to look away only when the door opened to reveal Natalia. Had she been in here longer than she thought?

Natalia smiled. "Hey. You're missing some pretty good stories out there. Ryan was just telling us the things he and his sister did when they were younger."

Calleigh couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I bet." A sigh, barely audible, escaped her lips. "I don't think I could imagine if things were different."

"What do you mean?" Natalia opened her purse and proceeded to reapply her lipstick.

Calleigh fussed with her hair, which was in its natural state for the night's outing: long loose waves. "I mean, if one of us hadn't ended up here. If Eric's parents hadn't brought him from Cuba, if Horatio had never moved from New York and Ryan from Boston…"

"And what about you? It certainly wouldn't be the same if you hadn't moved."

She smiled at her friend's reflection. "I was leavin' Louisiana one way or another. It was just a matter of how I was gettin' outta there."

"Sounds like you don't have too many happy memories there."

"No, not really," she said with a shake of her head, the smile faded now, and she was starting to get lost in thought again. "The only way I'd go back is if something happened here that I…just couldn't live with."

Studying the woman's face, Natalia got the feeling that Calleigh was talking about something that had already happened. "Is everything okay, Cal?"

Calleigh let go of the strand of hair she had been tugging straight, allowing it to spring back up into its wavy state. She smiled at Natalia, and nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"Alright. But in case it's not, you find me."

Calleigh nodded again. "I promise, Nat. Thanks." Both women looked at the door as it opened again.

"Are you two holding a press conference in here?" Alexx asked with a laugh. "You're missing out on all the good stuff, and I'm a little tired of being the only girl at the table."

Both ladies laughed at their older friend, and nodded. "Alright, alright. We're comin'," Calleigh told her with a laugh, following Alexx to the table with Natalia close behind.

* * *

Lost in thought as she drove to the lab, Natalia hung up her cell phone and placed it in her car's cup holder. She couldn't help but think about the mysterious circumstances under which Calleigh first left Miami. When the woman told her she was leaving, the reasoning that was given to her was simply, "Louisiana is home for me." But hadn't Calleigh come to Miami to get away from there? The few times that she had gotten to talking about the past, Calleigh had told her friends that she'd probably never move to back to Louisiana unless something had happened here that she "just couldn't live with." And that's the part that completely baffled Natalia. Because a few weeks after Calleigh had told her that, she explained to the team that she was leaving to move back home. A message had been left for each of them except Horatio during the night. No wonder that last time she had seen Calleigh before the move seemed so...final. The hug Natalia had gotten from her contained more strength than Calleigh seemed to have, and the tone of her voice had been so certain. Not to mention that Natalia swore that she saw her friend wipe a tear from her cheek as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Nat?" Eric asked as he watched her enter the lab. Her hair was pulled back, a small sign that she was ready to get a little dirtier in her work than usual. She spun to meet his smile. To Eric, she looked a little out of it. "Good morning to you too," he chuckled. "What's on your mind? You seem a little distant."

"What? Oh, nothing." She gave him a small smile and pointed to the pictures he was going over. They were from the place that Calleigh got attacked at. "What'd you find?"

"Blood. Horatio mentioned that some of the blood in the place wasn't there the first time we went over the place, so I decided to look at the pictures from the first sweep and when we found Calleigh. I found some difference between the two."

Natalia nodded. "So you've figured out what blood is Calleigh's. And with the blood placement and the extent of her injuries, we can probably figure out what happened."

"Right," he said. "So we can keep it from happening again." He nodded, and looked from the pictures to his friend. "Are you're alright?"

Natalia took a deep breath. "I don't know, I've just been thinking about those last few weeks that Calleigh was here."

Eric looked at her, clearly a little confused. "You say that as if -- did something happen last night at the hospital? Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have left."

"No, no, Eric. Calleigh's fine. I called H on my way in this morning." A heavy sigh came from her mouth, and she licked her lips. "What did Calleigh tell you was her reason for moving back?"

"I think all she said was it was time for her to go back." He placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, and looked at her. "Why the sudden curiosity, Nat?"

"Remember when we all went out for drinks a few weeks before she told us she was leaving?" Natalia didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "When we were in the ladies' room, she made a comment about how she was glad we had all ended up here in Miami and how she'd never go back to living in Louisiana unless something she '_just couldn't live with_' happened here."

"What?" Eric was completely baffled now. "Nothing bad happened before she left."

"Or it did, and Calleigh never told us."

* * *

Horatio had both car seats in his H2, thanks to Natalia picking up the kids last night. Pulling the children away from their mother had proved to be quite a task, and Jordan's small whimpers could still be heard. With the two young girls, he looked into the rear view mirror and smiled at the boy sitting between the two seats. He really was a good kid. Right now he was trying to calm his little sister down. He stopped into a roadside diner to get the kids something to eat, too deep in thought to eat something himself, before dropping them off at the child care center.

He was now sitting in his parking space in the lab's parking garage, and he couldn't help but feel this was a direct result of his actions. Or rather, a lack of his actions. Maybe both, he wasn't sure, perhaps it could go either way. But whichever way it went, he could tie the current situation to him being the cause. The little moments he couldn't believe he had misunderstood. The smiles she gave him, the stolen glances he caught her giving, the hugs they shared…

The truth was that he had carried feelings for Calleigh long before she left, years before. He just never knew that she had felt the same. Looking back now, he realized that she really did try to tell him, but the conversation was just never held. Either one of their cells started ringing, someone stepped up to them with an interruption, or Calleigh's cheeks got slightly red and she would always excuse herself. If he had just spoken with her instead of assuming she didn't feel the same, perhaps she wouldn't be laying in the hospital right now.

Or if he hadn't settled, marrying Marisol instead, perhaps she wouldn't be decorated with bruises. And what about that ride to the hospital? Had she still meant it then? When she had fallen asleep, he had certainly meant what he said. Horatio reached over and popped open his glove compartment in his H2, pulling out an envelope with his name on the front, scrawled a woman's neat penmanship. Opening the flap and pulling out the letter as he had done so many times before, he read over the same penmanship that was on the envelope.

_Horatio --_

_I'm sorry I didn't say good-bye in person, but I didn't think I would be able to make it through that. My brother found me a place not too far from his house, and I'm moving back to Louisiana. I didn't want to do this. I still don't, but I think it's my best option right now. I really can't…I just couldn't stay in Miami any longer. I hope you understand, despite my indecent attempt at explaining it to you. Maybe I'll be able to some other time. But I hope you understand, and I hope that some day, maybe you'll forgive me._

_I love you, Handsome._

_-- Calleigh  
_

He knew now why she didn't want to say good-bye in person, why she didn't want to move back. If what she said was true, if she loved him, then staying in Miami after he was married Marisol as long as she had? That had probably been pure torture for her. If she stayed any longer…Horatio didn't want to finish that thought. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something had happened to Calleigh because of him. But had he known that his feelings were returned, then he probably would not have married Mari. A small part of him couldn't help but feel guilty for thinking that, because if he hadn't married her, then he wouldn't have Taylor. And Calleigh wouldn't have two young but brave kids of her own.

He didn't know what made her think that she needed to be forgiven by him, because she certainly didn't. He was quite confident that whatever Calleigh could ever do, it would never warrant the need to forgive her. Calleigh was one person that Horatio really thought wouldn't hurt anybody unless they had threatened the life of her kids. And that's exactly what Ben Jones had done.

And for that, he would certainly pay the consequences.


	9. illegal possession

**DISCLAIMER ||** I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

**A/N || **This isn't quite the chapter I promised, and it's not much in the way of anything. And um. Harsh language useage warning, but only twice. I like my guns, and the law I mention in the last section is correct. Please read & review! I love me some reviews. The more you give, the faster I write.

* * *

She had lived through his lesson, but had she learned it? He could only hope that she now knew her proper place as a wife, but knew that it was unlikely. Calleigh was stubborn, and Ben hated that about her. It was something that she was teaching the kids, and that just could not be tolerated. And since he knew that his wife had been found and taken to the hospital, that meant he had seen the morning news show. He knew that the man who found her had likely been the lousy bum that Calleigh had mentioned in her sleep when they first started dating. Some guy named Horatio, though she always managed to evade questions about him when Ben asked. When he finally got it out of her, it had been after they had gotten married.

* * *

Both adults were lying in bed, only one asleep. It was one of the rare chances they got to sleep, as Harvey was still quite small, yet Ben couldn't quite fall into a slumber. Instead, he lay awake watching his wife sleep. The ceiling fan in their room was going on full speed, and wasn't the sturdiest of fixtures. It wobbled with the high speed it was on, making noise with each rotation of its blades. A light grunt came from the woman's throat as she rolled onto her right side, and pieces of Calleigh's blond locks fell to cover parts of her face. "Horatio," she whispered. This had caught his attention. She hadn't whispered it very loud, and had he been facing the other way, he probably wouldn't have heard it. From experience, Ben knew that if you talk to people when they sleep talk, they often answered you back. This had become a game between him and his brothers. Tonight, he would play this game with his wife.

He had no idea who this guy was, or why she denied his existence when she was fully conscious. He gently brushed the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Yeah, Calleigh?" he asked quietly.

Her facial expression gave the tiniest change, and Ben had to really focus to see it in the dark. Her look was apologetic, and her answer just as quiet as the initial word. "I'm sorry."

This confused him. "Sorry for what?"

"I love you, Handsome."

There was one thing that told him that Calleigh was still asleep: she had never called him 'Handsome' before. Yes, she told him he looked handsome on occasions that called for a dressier attire, but she had never used it as a nickname for him. "Whore!" He slammed one hand into her left shoulder, pushing her back and causing her to roll off her side of the bed.

Her eyes flew open at the shove, unsure of what was happening, and the room was spinning. A scream came from her mouth. She hadn't had time to brace herself for the impact, and she ended up face down on the floor. "Ben!" Calleigh cried out.

He jumped out of bed and flew to the other side of it, grabbing Calleigh's arm and jerking her up harshly. "Who is he?" Ben asked, shaking her. She didn't know what he was talking about, and it showed on her face. He slapped her, asking again. "Who is he?!"

Her mouth was open, as if she were going to say something, and she shook her head. "I don't know what you're talkin' about," she managed.

This just infuriated him. She _had_ to know what he was talking about. He grabbed ahold on her throat with his strong hand, backing her against the wall and holding her there. All she did was glare her response. "Horatio. This is the last time I'm gonna ask. Who is he?"

* * *

When she told him that he was her old boss, he had trouble believing her. But no matter what he did, she stuck to that story. After a chat with his brother-in-law Tyler, who had found her the house to move back all those years ago, he learned that this indeed was the truth. But he had made sure that his wife -- _his _wife, she was not Horatio's -- knew to stop loving this guy. And she said she had. But Ben doubted that, because she knew just as well as he did that you could not just simply stop loving someone. It took years to do that, if it could even be done. In some cases, it couldn't be. Once again, it all circled back to her stubbornness in Ben's mind. "She's been like that all her life," Tyler had told him when they were still dating. "She gets it from our momma."

And due to that, she probably hadn't learned her lesson. _By now,_ he thought, _she's probably got my kids callin' him 'Daddy.'_ He had to get them back before she let these ignorant-holes corrupt his kids any more than they probably already had.

* * *

_Whore!_

Calleigh's eyes flew open and she shot up to a sitting position in her hospital bed with a gasp. Looking around, she saw no one in her room. This confused her; that voice sounded like it was coming from someone right next to her, it sounded so real. It was his voice. Ben's. And seeing that he wasn't here, she managed to calm herself down. Her breathing returned to normal, noticing with embarrassment that she overreacted. She silently thanked the powers that be for not allowing anyone to catch a glimpse of her incident.

The previous day's events were clear right up until when the ambulance arrived to take her away, and things started to get a little fuzzy. What had they given her to make that happen? She didn't know, but she didn't like it. Not having a clear account of something that happened was one of her pet peeves. Though if she wasn't mistaken, the last thing she remembered doing before drifting off into the medicated sleep was telling Horatio that she loved him. Had she really done that? Oh, God. Calleigh reached up with her right hand and ran it through her hair, letting herself fall back onto her pillows. That was one conversation she didn't want to have, not any time in the near future. Marisol had only been gone 19 months -- she felt horrible about not being able to make it to her funeral. Actually, she hadn't been allowed to go. Ben wouldn't have it.

And it wasn't like she spoke to Horatio often. She didn't. She spoke to him twice a year. And those calls to him were short phone conversations she managed to make when she picked Jordan up from her brother's house. Ben would certainly kill her if he knew, and Calleigh swore her brothers to secrecy. She didn't know how Horatio was dealing with Mari's death, and she thought it was completely insensitive of her to say something like that to him right now if he was still dealing with it.

And knowing him for as long as she did before moving, he probably was.

She just…wished he knew how she felt. Yes, she did tell him that she loved him in the good-bye letter, but how did Calleigh know that he took it the right way? How did she know that he wasn't totally repulsed by the thought? Well. He couldn't be totally repulsed by it, with the way they had flirted on the job all those years. There had to be some attraction. No, Calleigh was wrong. She didn't wish he knew how she felt. It was the other way around. She wish she knew how _he_ felt.

There was a knock on her open door. "Hey Sweetie, how you doin'?"

Calleigh turned towards the door to see Alexx. "I'm fine, just woke up." She put on a smile for her friend. "Do you ever sleep? It seems like you were just here."

"My shift starts at two." Alexx took residence in the chair that Harvey had pulled up to the bed earlier that morning. "I wanted to see how you were before I clocked in." With a glance at the clock on the wall, Calleigh saw it was just after one. So she had slept through half the day. Well. That was more sleep than she was getting at Natalia's, but only because of the pain killers she was getting. Alexx's head tilted, and she could see that something else had her friend's attention. "What's on your mind, Calleigh Baby?"

If there were anyone Calleigh would take advice from, it'd be Alexx. The older woman had more experience, and had a wise way with these things. She met her friend's wondering gaze, and frowned a bit. "Alexx, can I ask you about someone?"

* * *

Parked in the garage of the MDPD, the car was off and his single action revolver was tucked safely in his glove box. It wasn't legal for him to have it with him, as Florida and Louisiana didn't honor the other's licenses to carry a concealed firearm. The car's windows were rolled down to allow him to hear any conversation that pertained to Calleigh or the kids. And he was in luck. As the footsteps came from the elevator, he could tell it was a man and a woman's. The gentle "tap-tap" of a men's dress shoe and the sharp "click-click" of a woman's heel were resounding throughout the parking structure.

"Get Jordan's car seat," Horatio told her, handing her his keys. "I'm calling ahead to tell the staff to release them to you."

Natalia nodded. "Alright." Rushing over to his vehicle, she transferred the child's car seat to her personal car and buckled it in. Once she had it secure in the car, she headed back to the man waiting and returned his keys.

Horatio gave a small smile. "Thank you." He dropped the keys in his pocket. "Call me when you get home, let me know you three are safe."

"Will do, H." She climbed in the driver's seat of her personal vehicle, noting that her boss was still standing there to watch her take off.

Ben noticed that, too. Only when Horatio stepped back into the elevator and the doors closed did he back out of his parking space to follow Natalia. He managed to remain unseen, staying a few cars behind her at all times. He watched as she loaded his kids into her car, looking over her shoulder constantly to make sure she wasn't being followed. Man. This chick couldn't be that bright if she didn't realize that he'd been behind her the whole way. Natalia's house proved to be not too far from the care center, and he hung farther back than he had been before as he followed her into the neighborhood. When he saw her park, he pulled into an empty driveway a few houses down. Opening the glove box, he grabbed his gun and headed to Natalia's front door.


	10. kidnapped

**DISCLAIMER ||** I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

**A/N || **Sorry this chapter took **FAR** too long to write and get up, and this really isn't as much as you all deserve for waiting this long. But in my defense, I've been back and forth between a few places and things have been kinda crazy. And we just got back from Las Vegas. Oh! Almost forgot:** black_dahlia75** -- Yes, it **is** kidnappin', even if it is your own kids. I was lookin' at stories online for a little inspiration, and found it's most common among nasty divorces and situations like Calleigh's.

* * *

He tried the door knob, and found it unlocked. The only guess that he could make was she was in a hurry, and in her hurry she had made a careless mistake. They weren't in the living room, but he could hear her voice in the kitchen. Closing the front door as quietly as possible, he took a look around. Ben sneered at what he saw. Her upscale brands, not real fancy but definitely an upgrade from what decorated his own house, made her seem like she was some sort of snob. Like she was silently saying that she was better than everybody else. But that was just him -- and to Ben, his opinion was always right, no matter what the actual facts were.

An actual fact? Natalia was, quite possibly, one of the most selfless people in Miami.

Natalia's voice rang out from the kitchen. "Yeah, okay. I'll bring them by later. Just call me when you want me to meet you, okay? Yeah. Bye, H." Ben smirked, and followed the sound to the source. Her back was to him, she was looking out the window over the sink. In the short few minutes time that they had been at the house, both Harvey and Jordan were outside playing with their toys out in Natalia's back yard. They were relatively safe, as the yard had an opaque, 6-foot privacy fence around it, and the gate from the front to the back had a padlock on it. But she still felt the need to physically see them. If anything were to happen to them while they were with her…she was positively sure she'd never be able to face Calleigh again.

* * *

Alexx Woods looked at her friend. To look at Calleigh lying in the hospital bed, covered with the thin blankets, she looked so frail and broken. But Alexx knew her younger friend was anything but fragile. She was so strong-willed; she just couldn't see it right now. The woman tilted her head, a bit curious about the source of the subject matter. "Calleigh Baby, where is all this coming from?"

Her uninjured shoulder rolled up in a shrug. "I don't know." A patented expression of 'Yeah, right, and I gave birth to Santa Claus' washed over Alexx's face. This look usually got a smirk out of the blond, but today it didn't seem to have that effect. "Okay. It's just um…just something that's been on my mind lately. I mean, I left because I couldn't watch it, Alexx, and now that it's over…"

Calleigh didn't get to finish before Alexx interrupted her. "Watch what? Now that what's over?" The older woman was now completely lost, but was using her powers of deduction to venture an educated guess. "Horatio and Marisol?" Calleigh looked a bit guilty, and nodded. "I should've figured as much after you left as quick as you did."

Now it was Calleigh's turn to look a bit lost. She looked up from her fingernails with questions in her eyes.

"We all saw the way you looked at him, Baby." By the look on her face, she really had no idea what the woman was talking about. "I'm still curious about how he didn't see it. The two of you were always so professional, it was a _shame_. Did you ever try to tell him?"

Now Calleigh knew what Alexx was saying. "More than once," she nodded. "It just…never happened. We either got interrupted, or I just froze up and started rambling about a case."

"Honey, I'm surprised you didn't see it before." Now Cal was really confused, and it definitely showed. "You mean you really don't know what I'm talking about?" The younger woman's head shook, blond hair swishing with the movement. "Baby, he looked at you the same way."

"He did?" Alexx nodded at her. How could she not have seen that? "I…had no idea."

Giving her a gentle, knowing smile, Alexx lightly touched Calleigh's cheek. "He did. And I think that next time he comes up here, you oughta sit him down and talk about this. Because this has been a long time in the making, Honey." The parts of Calleigh's face that weren't bruised were quickly growing pink with slight embarrassment, and Alexx let out a chuckle. "I have to get downstairs to clock in, so I'll let you rest now and be up later to see how you're doing."

Calleigh nodded, and let her mind mull over everything Alexx had just told her as the older woman left, leaving the door open behind her.

* * *

Ben hooked his arm around Natalia's throat from behind, grabbing the gun in his waist band. She reached up with one hand and raked her nails down one side of his face, tearing some of the small scabs that Calleigh had left the day before. Shoving her other hand in her pocket with her cell, she pressed 'Redial' on her phone. Giving Horatio time to answer his phone, she struggled a little bit before speaking. "Get...off of me, Ben!" A grunt is all that she could manage with Ben's arm greatly restricting her air supply, but she knew it would be loud enough for Horatio to hear, granted he had answered. She slipped her hand back out of her pocket undetected.

He jerked her up, tightening his grip. "Shut up!"

Wincing, Natalia's nostrils flared with anger. "Your kids are right outside. You want them to see you kill me? Yeah, they'll really be proud of you then."

Head lowered so he didn't have to speak loudly, Ben's gravelly voice snarled in Natalia's ear. "You say one more word," he warned, "and I'mma blow out what little brains you have, woman." He pressed the gun to her temple, and she swallowed roughly. "Understood?" He smiled as he watched the woman nod against her will. "Good. Now you're gonna do exactly as I say. Open the window." When she did, Ben moved out of view of the window and moved the gun's barrel from her temple to the upper left side of her back. "Call the kids inside and tell 'em you have a surprise."

Natalia took a deep breath, willing her voice not to crack. "Harvey, Jordan! Come on inside for a second, I have a surprise for you guys!" Her heartbeat quickened as she said the words, cursing the fact that Calleigh had two of the most well-behaved kids that Natalia had seen these days. Her eyes closed as the children came rushing through the back door, and she could feel Ben's thick hand turn her so the kids wouldn't see the gun.

"Daddy! You came on 'cation with us!" Jordan shrieked with delight. Natalia couldn't blame her. If you were three years old and hadn't seen your Daddy for a few days, you'd be excited too. Poor kids didn't realize that he wasn't here for a vacation.

"You didn't think I was just gonna stay at home and let Mommy have all the fun, did you?" Ben grinned at his children. "Harvey, go get you guys' shit, we're goin' for a ride."

* * *

Horatio kept the phone to his ear as he finished barking his orders as he ran to his H2 to start over on his way to his team member's residence. An ambulance was already on the way there, incase Natalia needed medical attention. The extra tire tread that Ryan had collected from Calleigh's crime scene had been analyzed, telling them that Ben was driving a 2007 Ford F-350. With a call to the Louisiana DMV, they found that the Ford truck was one he owned, silver in color, with a Louisiana license plate of 5TGC65.

Several marked police cars followed him on his way, a few making sharp U-turns in the road when a truck matching the description passed by them. Sirens blaring, Horatio didn't let up on his gas pedal. This was the second person from his top-dollar team that Ben Jones had harmed, and it wasn't something he was going to take laying down. He skidded to a stop in front of the yard, and made a dash for the door. "Natalia?" Once glance around the living room had told him that there was a struggle. It took only a few of his long strides to reach the woman laying on the living room floor, a slim stream of blood leaking from her forehead to the carpeting. Touching two fingers to her wrist to get a feel on her pulse, relief washed over him. "Natalia, can you hear me?"

Her eyes fluttered open, and she struggled to focus her vision on the man kneeling over her. She knew it was her boss from the color of the blur that topped his head, but her eyes needed to adjust, and what better to focus on than a friendly face? "H…I didn't even hear him come in. I'm sorry."

He nodded. "I know, it's alright. I'm just glad you were able to call me. We'll get them back." He looked to the door as he heard the ambulance pull up, and waved the EMTs in. "The paramedics are here, they're going to check you out, okay?" Helping her sit up, Horatio watched as she nodded. While Natalia was getting cared for, Horatio spoke with police officers littering her house. He learned a few things relevant to the case: entry to the house was not forced, matching what Natalia told him upon regaining consciousness. The silver 2007 Ford F-350 that had been seen while racing to Natalia's was indeed Ben, and a pursuit was in progress. Officers were on foot going to neighbors' houses to see if anyone had seen anything. And most importantly, the children were missing. Horatio had expected all this, though, and by the time he had been filled in, Natalia was patched up and walking over to him.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You're alright?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm fine."

Horatio smiled. "Good."

"I'm worried about the kids, H. He's got a gun, and I was out before they left. I don't know if he hurt them or not."

"Officers are pursuing him as we speak, ma'am. He won't get far," Horatio promised, guiding her over to the couch. "Let's have a seat, and I'll have a uniform take your statement."


	11. playing questions

**DISCLAIMER ||** I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

**A/N || **I'm tryin' this whole "updatin' quicker" gig out…there was somethin' of a nervous freak out earlier this week and I spent three days in bed afterwards, but if it counts, I spent a day and a half of it thinking about the story. lol So I really hope it doesn't disappoint. :] I honestly have no idea how much longer I'm gonna drag this out, I'm tryin' to make the chapters a bit longer, give you all a good bit more to read each time I post.

* * *

If Calleigh hated anything, it was feeling helpless. And having to be wheeled around because of a sprained ankle definitely made her feel that way, as the use of a crutch was made impossible by her shoulder injury. Just the thought of having to inconvenience her friends because of it peeved her a little, as well, but if anyone was gonna be taking care of her, she wouldn't want it to be any other group of people. Her head was turned to the side slightly so she could hear what her friend was saying behind her on their way down to the front doors. "Alright, Baby," Alexx smiled as she brought the wheelchair Calleigh was in to a stop in front of long-time friend Eric Delko. "You've got your personal things, your meds… I'd say you're free to go!"

The last of the day's sun was shining, it was early evening and sunset would start in just about an hour. Smiling up at her friend, Calleigh couldn't help but look a little confused. "Where are Harvey and Jordan?"

Eric moved behind her to take control of her chair from Alexx, to whom he gave a nod, and tried to think of an answer that wouldn't upset her too much. "I'll tell you in the car." Before she could protest, he smiled and waved to Alexx as he started towards the door with Calleigh. "Thanks, Al."

"Anything I can do to help," Alexx told him as she nodded back, hands shoved in the front pockets of white lab coat that covered her baby blue scrub top. "Call me, Eric. I want updates on her!"

"Will do," he called over his shoulder just before the sliding doors shut behind him.

"What's going on?" He didn't answer her as he popped open the passenger door to his H2. "Delko?"

Pulling the wheelchair closer to the open door, he reached down to help Calleigh stand up. "I'll get to that in a minute, alright? Let me get you in the car first." Normally the hefty sigh that Calleigh gave him would annoy him a little bit, but then again normally, she wouldn't act like such a pain. Under these circumstances, staying calm was what he needed to do to keep her calm. She was being extremely patient with him, as patient as she could, despite the fact that she didn't know if her children were okay or not. And of course, if she had chosen to come at him swinging and screaming, he would've understood that too. She was handling this procrastination rather well. Eric didn't really want to be the one to tell her, but he had been the one who offered to pick her up from the hospital before Ben had gotten to Natalia's. If the situation were reversed, Eric wasn't so sure he could keep the same calm that Calleigh was. Or the same semi-calm, rather. There was probably a fiery whirlwind of thoughts running through the blond's mind. He had picked her up and placed her in the vehicle, loading the wheelchair into the leg room behind her seat before climbing in the Hummer himself.

She wasted no time. "Tell me what happened to my kids, Eric. Right now."

He looked over at her. Her green eyes bore into him, nostrils slightly flared, and there was a no mistaking the demanding tone to her voice. The vehicle wasn't even in gear yet. He took a deep breath as he shifted into reverse and backed out. "H had Natalia pick them up from the day care. He must've followed her home from the lab." Her gaze didn't let up, but instead was intensified as she raised a single brow. Eric wasn't looking at her, he couldn't if he wanted to avoid a car wreck. "He went inside, threatened her with a gun, knocked her out and took the kids."

"He brought his gun." In his peripheral vision, he saw her head fall back against the seat's head rest, eyes closed as she exhaled audibly. Tears stung at her eyes, but she didn't dare let them gather or fall, because that would be her admitting defeat. And she wasn't gonna do that. Not now. Not in front of Eric. She shook her head, reaching up to tuck her blond locks behind her ear. Normally, it didn't bother her when her hair fell in her face, but when since she was royally agitated, it did. She silently cursed herself for not asking Alexx for a hair tie before they left Dade Memorial. "When?"

He didn't have an exact time frame to give her. He shrugged. "I don't know. Couldn't have been more than two hours ago. I didn't get an exact time from Horatio."

Her stare was directed out the window. Her kids had been missing for that long and they hadn't told her sooner? This was definitely something that she would be speaking to Horatio about. "You realize that he's probably half way to Tampa or St. Pete with them by now." The cities were around five hours away. If Ben were to cut over and take the SunPass toll way, driving even slightly faster than the legal speed limits, he could reach them in just about four hours. Maybe less.

"Yeah," Eric said. "I know. But we've got cars on him; they've been behind him the whole way." He filled her in on all the details he'd been given, answering the few questions that she had as best he could. After he'd finished and there'd been a few minutes of silence from her, he knew she had found some way to blame this incident on herself. Stealing a glance before the stoplight turned green, he smiled gently. "Hey." Calleigh turned to look at him. "We're gonna get 'em back, okay?"

She blinked. "Yeah," she nodded. They had to get them back. If something were to happen… Calleigh was sure she'd only be able to force herself to keep breathing for so long afterwards. She mustered up enough willpower to manage a smile, and nodded a bit more. "Yeah, okay."

* * *

Horatio donned his sunglasses in the setting sun, waiting for them when they pulled into the parking lot out front of the Miami-Dade Police Department. Eric shifted into park, climbed out of the H2, and stepped up to his superior. "How's she doing?" Horatio asked.

Eric placed his hands in his jean pockets and nodded. "She's a trooper, H, I gotta hand it to her. Calleigh's taking this a lot better than I would if I were her."

He pushed his jacket out of the way as he placed his hands on his hips. "Good, good. I have Natalia inside with Ryan, and I'm sure Calleigh wants to speak with her. I'd feel better with her inside, so let's get her in there." Horatio was already opening Calleigh's door as Eric was unfolding the wheelchair. "Eric, will you go inside and tell Ryan and Natalia we'll be joining them in a moment?"

He nodded. "Sure, H."

Horatio closed the back passenger door and pulled the chair close enough for the woman to get to without causing herself too much pain. "Ma'am," he nodded, giving her a smile.

She took a deep breath as she turned herself to face him, returning his smile with a small one of her own. "Heya, Handsome," she said, somewhat sadly. It wasn't that she was upset to see him. She was ecstatic to be in his company again after so many years, but the circumstances surrounding them at the moment put a huge damper on the excitement. These had definitely turned into a horrible few days in Florida. Never in a million ears would she have thought that she'd be the victim of domestic abuse to this degree. That was one thing that she thought she'd been sure about. She'd never been afraid to stand up for herself before, even against the nastiest of criminals. Or Jake Berkley. Jake had only given her a few marks, and she'd put him in his place as soon as he'd done it. But since getting married, she'd had several near-death experiences because of the things she'd let Ben do. Just because she'd gotten married didn't mean her confidence had to change or suffer. But it had. Why? What had made things change?

Taking her uninjured arm in one hand and placing his other on her back, Horatio guided Calleigh safely from the H2 to the wheelchair, noticing the lady's uncomfortable nature with the equipment. If you knew her, it would be fairly easy to tell that the chair was yet another stab to her already wounded pride. "Natalia's inside, I know that you probably want to speak with her."

He was right; she did want to talk to her, though she wanted to talk to him more. She knew that was a conversation that would have to wait until this was over. "I do, yeah." Looking up to meet his eyes with hers, Calleigh couldn't help but blink. "But um. Do you think…" She couldn't possibly be getting ready to say this. Her gaze was redirected to the traffic flowing loosely down the road, and his stare could be felt. Her face was suddenly warm with embarrassment as she immediately changed her mind. "Damn," she muttered. "Whatever I was gonna say just slipped my mind."

A slight chuckle escaped Horatio's small grin, and he nodded. "It's quite alright, Sweetheart. Let's get you inside, and we'll go from there." He wheeled her up the ramp and through the doors with ease, and they joined Horatio's two waiting team members as promised through Eric.

Before anything could be said, Natalia was leaning down to hug her. "Calleigh, I am so unbelievably sorry!"

She raised her uninjured arm up to give her friend a squeeze back, she shook her head. "It is not your fault, Natalia. It's not."

"Gentlemen?" Horatio asked, pulling the sunglasses from his face. Both Ryan and Eric looked over at him. "Join me, please." Without hesitation, both men followed him out of the room and into the break room down the glass hallway. Natalia and Calleigh were still in view, even several rooms away. It was one reason the redhead liked having walls of glass rather than solid, opaque walls.

"God," Ryan sighed. "Calleigh looks like she's been to hell and back."

The lieutenant nodded. "She has, Mr. Wolfe. Do we have any updates?"

"Yeah, we do," he said, without taking his eyes off the women. "Not much, though. Ben's gone almost completely across south Florida, heading west on I-75. They're thinking he's gonna follow 75 north, heading up towards Tampa."

Eric didn't like this any more than Horatio did. "Well, have we been in contact with any of the police departments around the Bay area, to have them set up a road block?"

Ryan nodded. "Tampa's as far north as they want this scumbag to get. Frank spoke with the Chief of Police there, Chief Hogan. Real nice guy. He's cooperating and having his men stand by for further instructions."

"Okay, that's good. That's very good." Horatio nodded. "What else?"

Ryan shook his head. "Nothing. That's all we have. But, uh, here comes Natalia."

The women had finished their talk rather quickly, prompting Horatio to wonder if anything had been sourly exchanged between the two, though he doubted it. "Alright, gentleman. I," Horatio started, looking away from the women to look at each of them, "am going to pick up Taylor and I'm taking Calleigh home with me as well. Will one of you see to it that Natalia gets home safely?" Both of the younger men nodded. Satisfied, he collected Calleigh, picked up Taylor, and headed home, though he was quite sure that the night was far from over.

He was right.

* * *

It proved to be a task to feed Calleigh, as she kept insisting that she wasn't hungry, but after about an hour of convincing her Horatio finally got her to give in and have a bowl of cereal. In the meantime, he had given Taylor a bath, with Calleigh sitting in the doorway, just observing. She couldn't help but smile at how great he was with the small girl. She'd never seen her before that morning in the hospital room, and even then she didn't get a good look at her as the child had been asleep. But seeing her now, full of energy and splashing around, hearing Horatio laugh and play with her, Calleigh could actually say she was amazed. It'd been a long time since she'd heard him laugh, but she'd never heard him laugh like that before. She found herself smiling, blown away by what she was seeing. For a moment she was at peace, seeing first hand just how pure a father's love for his child could be, and in a split second she was full of rage. Ben had stolen that from Harvey and Jordan. They'd never be able to have this with him.

Calleigh managed to get herself out of her chair and onto the living room couch as Horatio tucked his tiny dancer into bed, worn out from her day at PlayCare Learning Center with her two new friends. He closed the door behind him, though leaving a crack wide enough to let a little light drift into the room should the girl wake up, and joined his house guest on the couch. "Is she always so happy?" she asked him as he sat.

He nodded without hesitation. "She is," he smiled. "Taylor's so much like Marisol; I just wish she could know that. You'd think she spends every day with her."

"She's beautiful."

His gaze shifted from the cracked bedroom door to his old friend, knowing that she was wishing her own children were here with her right now. He could tell from the sadness in her eyes that she could only go so much longer before she had to stop acting so brave. "We're gonna get them back, safe and sound, okay?" Grinning with a lost stare, the only other thing Calleigh could do was nod. "Okay," he nodded. "Come here." He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I missed you, Handsome," she said quietly. There was no doubt in her mind that if Ben were to walk through the door right now, he'd put a bullet through her. Wouldn't that be a kick? Bullet Girl killed by her expertise: fire arms. That would be like Poison Ivy getting killed by her own toxins.

But she didn't have to worry about that. He and the kids were probably thirty minutes outside of Tampa, and there had been no word of a road block yet. Leaning against him, she tilted her head back to look up at him. "Hey," she said, pulling back from him, sitting up on her own. The moment was a nice relaxed one, and she wasn't sure she wanted to bring this up now. She didn't want to ruin it, or make things awkward, but there was no other time she'd be able to do this if she didn't do it now. Horatio looked at her, answering her quietly with a questioning expression. Calleigh took a deep breath before speaking. "I think we should talk."

"Okay," Horatio sat back a bit as well and turned his torso toward her, his head tilting slightly to the side. "What about?"

Licking her lips, she realized that she had no idea how was she going to go about starting this conversation. There was a long pause after his question, and it was quite obvious to him that she was thinking hard about how she was going to word her next statement or question. He didn't mind, either. He wanted her to take all the time she needed, to be as comfortable with him as possible. When she did speak, she had his undivided attention. "I want you to ask me questions. Anything you wanna know, but not questions like I'm a suspect or a victim, and not about my marriage."

"Alright." Horatio took a moment to think. "When did you decide to leave?"

He'd started with an easy one. "About six weeks before I did."

Six weeks? Had he noticed her distracted at the lab? The years had blurred the memories to a certain point. "You called everyone on the team the night before but me." She nodded. "Why?"

"I um. I didn't have a problem calling them, because I knew I could handle that, I knew they were sleeping. Calling you, in the middle of the night, you would've answered." He nodded, knowing she was right. "And if I called you, I think I would've cried."

This had to be the most inappropriate time to start laughing -- but she did. It wasn't her normal laugh, it was a nervous one. She was saying things she never thought she'd say out loud, and saying them to a person she never thought she'd see again.

Horatio smirked slightly. He knew being completely open and honest about her feelings was hard for her; she kept them to herself like they were some sort of military intelligence, but he was more than glad to be trusted with them. He recalled the contents of the letter she'd left him. _I'm sorry I didn't say good-bye in person, but I didn't think I would be able to make it through that,_ she'd written as the first line. "So that's why you left the letter." She nodded again, and Horatio paused for a second before he asked her the next question on his mind. "Why did you leave, Calleigh? You wrote that you didn't want to. Why did you?"

Did she say ask _anything_ he wanted? Maybe she didn't mean quite anything, though she couldn't change that now. Calleigh knew he'd ask this, but it still took her off guard for some reason. It had come much earlier than she thought it would. She felt her face get hot, and thanked the lord that the lighting in the room wasn't bright, because the unbruised parts of her face were probably bright pink. Her mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out. It hung open, leaving Calleigh feeling stupid, silently realizing that her reasoning for that suddenly seemed extremely juvenile and immature.


	12. cease fire

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSIM DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

Her throat was dry, but that was no excuse for her silence. She took a swallow and trudged forward with the conversation, it was only fair. He deserved an explanation years ago, and now that he was finally asking, her answer was long overdue. "I…" God, how was she gonna explain this? She had thought of so many different answers to this question over the years, in case he had gotten the chance to ask her this. And right now she could remember almost none of them. She went with the only one she could remember, which was the explanation she liked the least. "You were so happy with Marisol. I knew that." She studied his face, but found nothing to comfort her. The only expression he wore was one of curiosity, and Calleigh wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing right now. "I meant what I wrote in the letter, Horatio, I still mean it."

Horatio nodded. He knew what she meant, and while it would be better to hear her say it straight out, he understood why she didn't. Before speaking, he took a deep breath. "I know," he nodded.

Looking directly into Horatio's blue eyes, Calleigh wasn't concerned with the tears welling up in her own becoming noticeable; she hadn't noticed them herself. "Did you know that then?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head, adjusting his position on the couch. "I didn't." He knew she was studying him, probably trying not to think a few steps ahead of him. She always had done that, come to think of it. Had anyone ever told her that she thought too much? He'd have to make a mental note to do that. He reached up and tucked a gold, silk soft strand of hair behind her ear. "But if I had, I think things would've gone… very differently."

It was the truth. And while Horatio had been faithful to Marisol, that didn't mean he wasn't human. He tried not to, but every so often he did wonder about how things would be had he gotten involved with Calleigh instead. But how _would_ things have been? He'd never really gotten a solid grasp on that part. The biggest difference would be that Horatio never would've hurt Calleigh like Ben had, and her body would never be riddled with blue and purple splotches because of anything he'd done. They'd probably have a place together, a condo if it was just them. But would they be happy in a condo? Where would it be? Right on the water, perhaps, with a dock and a boat. What if they had children? Would it be a house, much like the one they were sitting in now? Maybe it wouldn't be much like this one, or maybe it would be this exact house. And the children, would their names have been different? Horatio had no clue. Farther than the fact that they would've been together, it was anybody's guess at what their life would be like. The rest was all little intimate details, things that could only be known had this 'what if?' been actual reality. Who knew -- maybe it wouldn't have lasted, and they would've ended up with Marisol and Ben, respectively, after all.

All Calleigh could think to do was nod as Horatio reached behind him for the box of tissues he kept handy on the end table, offering it to her. It didn't take a trained eye to see the woman was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry," she mumbled as she took a tissue and balled it up, fumbling with it. "I just felt like if I had the opportunity, that I missed it. You and Marisol were happy. And I knew that if that was gonna happen for me, it couldn't happen if I was here."

"Calleigh," he said quietly. "Sweetheart, you don't have to apologize." A tear had finally fallen down her cheek. Horatio pulled a tissue from the box and folded it to gently wipe it, careful not to hurt her. She closed her eyes, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "Feelings sometimes…" He raised his eyebrows. "They can't be controlled." The conversation was interrupted by a sharp ring that sang from Horatio's waist band. Unclipping his cell phone from its holder and glancing at the caller I.D., he saw it was the night shift supervisor calling from the MDPD. Showing it to Calleigh, she nodded and he answered the phone. "Caine."

* * *

It was nearly ten when Horatio had called in a favor, as soon as he'd gotten news of the roadblock; a helicopter was made available to him to take to the Tampa Bay area. Eric was called in to go with; the ride was forty-five minutes in length. It was waiting there when they'd arrived at the station fifteen minutes later.

Ambulances were in place, in case of an injury. Road spikes blew Ben's tires, preventing him from moving forward much more. It was a while before Ben made any actions. He was blocked on the Sun Pass toll road, with nowhere for him to run to were he to choose that option. After twenty minutes of sitting in the truck, his gas supply ran out. You can't exactly stop to fill up your tank when you're being heavily pursued by police. He cursed, barricading himself and the kids in the truck by locking the doors and windows. It wasn't long after this point that he had opened fire on the Tampa police officers, not bothering to roll down his window. He aimed and shot right through the windshield. Harvey had unbuckled Jordan and pulled her down on the floor of the truck's backseat, and the police had started firing back.

At the police department, tension was definitely high. Calleigh was perched on a bench just outside the glass interview rooms, tiny Taylor was curled up with a small pillow and her favorite blanket, sleeping soundly beside her. It wasn't Calleigh's choice that she wasn't in Tampa with Eric and Horatio right now, collecting her children, and she was by no means happy about staying behind. Horatio had made it non-negotiable, though. She was to stay here; he knew the wind from the helicopter would create enough wind to complicate gun fire, and didn't want her getting hit by a bullet blown astray. So she sat safely but tearfully in Miami, keeping watch over the small redhead next to her, and worrying that her children were anything but unscathed. The wheelchair she'd been sent home with was left behind, instead grabbing an ACE wrap to secure her sprained ankle enough to walk lightly on.

The gun fight had started just before the helicopter landed, and Ben had been hit in the chest. The windshield had been shattered, so the police could visibly see him fall over. Once Horatio and Eric had landed, the roadblock's head honcho called a cease fire, telling his men to stand by for further instructions and keep watch for movement from Ben so he could fill in the newcomers. None of the Tampa officers had been wounded, but the perp had been shot once. There had been no sign of the kids after gun fire had started. Immediately after being briefed, Horatio looked to his longtime friend. "Eric, I want you to take the passenger side." Eric nodded, doing as told, just as he was trained.

Crouched down, the men made their ways to either side of the truck, service weapons at the ready. As Horatio turned himself to look into the driver's side window, he trained his weapon on it. He saw exactly what he expected to; Ben, lying face up across the front seat. He'd been applying pressure to his wound with an oil rag he kept in the glove compartment. Seeing the movement out of the corner of his eye, he'd seen a glimpse of red that shone in the spotlights trained on his truck.

He stared hard up at Horatio -- he knew who he was. That this was the 'Handsome' that Calleigh whispered about in her sleep. And he hated him for it. Horatio glared right back, and as the saying goes, if looks could kill...Ben would've been dead and gone about ten seconds ago. Procedures weren't running through his mind -- revenge was, for everything he'd done to Calleigh and her kids. And Ben didn't care that Horatio's glare was boring into him, he was convinced that he was coming out of this alive and with his kids. Cocking the hammer back on his gun and keeping his hand as steady as he could, he trained it on the man standing outside his window. Horatio was aware of the barrel pointing at him and shot Ben in the arm, before Ben could pull the trigger. The wounded man's gun fell to the floor of the truck, landing just underneath the pedals. Nostrils flared, Horatio re-aim his gun, looked Ben in the eyes, and pulled the trigger again.

* * *

The scene was messy, but that was to be expected when someone was shot in the neck. Horatio called for a medic, and before he could reach in the broken window and unlock the doors, the stretcher was already half way to the truck. The EMTs had pulled Ben out and loaded him into the ambulance and took off. With the doors unlocked and the driver's door open, he reached for the handle of the back door. The children were huddled on the floor between the seats. Both were crying, but neither made a peep. "Hey there," Horatio said to get their attention. When they looked up at him, he smiled a little. "I want you two to come with me, okay?" Harvey nodded, scooting to the open doors, Jordan following him. As Harvey hopped out of the truck, Horatio scooped up Jordan and accompanied both to the back of another ambulance to have them checked over for injuries. Before long, the kids were declared physically healthy and joined Eric and Horatio on the flight back.

As soon as the doors opened, Calleigh jerked her head up. Out of all of the people in the area bustling about, she was the only one to care who was coming through the door. She was expecting both Horatio and Eric with her children. What she saw was Eric walking towards her alone. She stood up, but didn't take any steps. "Where are they?" she asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Are they alright?"

Eric nodded. "They're just a little shaken up. Horatio's got them out by his car, waiting for you. It's a little crowded in here, so he sent me in to get you and Taylor." He plucked up his niece and her belongings, waking her, and walked with Calleigh in silence to the parking lot. When they had the trio in sight, it was all Calleigh could do to keep herself from trying to run to them. Her ankle would give out, perhaps break completely. She got to them as fast as she could though, hugging both children with her uninjured arm, covering them with kisses. They clung to her. Eric handed his niece to her father, who strapped her into her car seat.

Calleigh looked over at the men, her arm still around her kids sitting on the trunk of Horatio's 2009 Chevy Malibu, and smiled tearfully. "Thank you."

* * *

Calleigh had sat in the back seat with the kids, Harvey between her and Taylor and Jordan on her lap. She'd managed to calm them down, enough for them to fall asleep once they arrived at Horatio's home again. He insisted she and the kids took his bedroom, while he took the couch. Not that he actually slept much -- he was up most of the night checking on his guests.

He and Taylor were already awake when Calleigh and the kids emerged from the room in the morning, and breakfast had already been started. "Good morning," he said. "Are eggs and bacon alright?"

She smiled back at him, nodding. "Yeah, that's fine." Her kids joined Taylor at her pink kids table, three tiny little bodies sitting in three little pink chairs. The fourth chair was being stored out back in the shed, one side of the table was pushed up against the wall. Calleigh stepped over beside Horatio at the stove. "Thank you," she said, her voice lowered.

Horatio smiled. "You're more than welcome." He slid the scrambled eggs from the pan to plates already holding two strips of bacon each, a plate for each of the kids. He grabbed the ketchup from the fridge, squirted a little bit on each plate, and set them on the children's table. Calleigh had already started on more eggs, so she and Horatio could eat as well. Approaching the stove again, Horatio turned to the woman, lifting the bowl from her hands. "I want you to consider moving back, Calleigh."

She looked at him. "I don't…" She shook her head. "I don't know, Horatio. Louisiana is my home. Harvey's school, our family, my job… everything is there."

He nodded. "Natalia told me that your boss fired you," he smirked. "I'm just asking that you consider it an option. Whatever you choose to do though, just remember, you still have family here. We can talk about it later, if you'd like." He watched as she nodded, and finished up the second batch of scrambled eggs. "Okay," he smiled. "Let's eat."


	13. do you trust me?

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own any of the _CSI: Miami _team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, _mine_. I have a computer, _CSI:M_ DVDs, and ADD: oh the thrills I will have ruining the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

"Momma! Hey Momma!" The Louisiana sun's afternoon rays shone through the windows and hit Harvey's shaggy chocolate hair, which was flying around as he raced over to his mother. "You gotta see this! It's so cool!"

Calleigh was ripped from her thoughts and task as she turned to see what her son wanted to show her. "What's up, Harvey?" The glass in her son's hands caught her attention, and a sour expression overtook her face. "Harvey…"

"I named him Slimer!" Of course he did. He was enamored with the Ghostbusters movie, anything that happened to be slippery was automatically named 'Slimer.' "Can I keep him?"

"Where did you _get_ him?"

He smiled proudly. "Me and Greg got 'im out by the Bayou, saved him from a turtle!"

How many times had she told those boys not to play by the Bayou? Gators filled the Bayou, just looking for small human snacks to fill their bellies. "I can't believe Horatio let you boys down there, he knows what the Everglades are like. And what did I tell y'all about playin' out by the Bayou?"

"Not to. Can I keep him?"

Calleigh nodded with a smirk. "As matter fact, you can."

Harvey wasn't expecting that answer. "…I can?"

"You can. You can keep him outside where you found him, he's gross. Bring me that cup back, too, I wanna soak that in bleach water." Calleigh saw Harvey's shoulders drop and he gave her a look. "Go on, take Slimer right back outside where ya found him." He turned around and headed for the front door, and she saw him turn towards the stairs. "No, Harvey. I said keep him outside, not in Jordan's bed."

He heaved a sigh, and looked back at his mother as he held the front door open. She smiled, thanked him for being a good little man, and headed up the stairs herself. Jordan was down for a nap, and she hadn't heard anything through the monitors but they weren't the best quality and sometimes didn't work. They were old, the baby monitors were the ones they had when Harvey was a newborn. When Jordan was born, they didn't think they needed new ones. Well, Calleigh did, but Ben didn't, so no new ones were bought. Smiling at her baby girl, who was still peacefully sleeping, she thanked the high heavens that bother her children were safe, like she did multiple times every day. Since the Miami incident, they were never more than just a few feet from her. She walked over and pressed her lips to the girl's forehead. Jordan didn't budge.

A knock on the door followed by a friendly greeting caught Cal's attention, so she made her way downstairs and was met by her older brother and his wife. "Hey," she grinned, stepping onto the ground floor.

In the week she and the kids had been back in Louisiana, it was the first time Kenny had seen her. Their father had called and told him about what had happened in Miami, which took Calleigh's older brothers by surprise. They knew Ben was a little jealous, but they had no idea what else had been going on inside their little sister's home. He enveloped her in a hug, and she hugged him back with the strength she had. "Good to see you alive, Sis."

"Yeah, yeah," she blushed a little. Her injuries had, for the most part, healed and her bruises were gone, though there was some scarring. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. He pulled back, an arm still around her shoulders, and looked down at her. She knew by the look on his face he was wanting to ask questions, so she needed to stop him before he started. "Can um…can we not talk about that?"

"Of course, sure." Kenny looked around, and put his arm around his wife, looking around his sister's living room. It smelled of fresh paint and was littered with boxes. "So you're really going back?"

Calleigh nodded. "I am, yeah. I just…can't be here anymore. Miami was more my home than Louisiana ever was," she told them as she took in the sight of her cluttered living room. It was strange to say that, after just two months earlier telling someone else that Louisiana was her home. Honestly, she never thought she'd get the chance to go back, it was a second chance at the life she used to love living. Maybe could get back into the same type of groove, with two little blessed extras. She'd stayed an extra few weeks, to help Horatio look for her and the kids a place to live. He tried to convince her to just stay with him, but she vehemently disagreed with that idea. It wasn't ideal to change things drastically for children, and the move back was drastic enough. They didn't need to be squished in a house with another family so soon. She'd agreed that, if things worked out well between them, to consider uniting their households. Until then, she and her children needed a place of their own.

She'd been cleared by Dr. Alexx Woods for light field work, though Alexx knew perfectly well that Calleigh took nothing lightly when it came to her career, and she'd already been rehired. Her extra weeks in Miami, she'd spent pushing papers at one of the desks in the police department for a paycheck.

"Who am I gonna go to for help?" Joni asked as she looked at her sister-in-law.

"You're gonna be fine, Jone. If you need help, I'm a phone call away, I'm your personal baby managin' hotline." Joni was six months pregnant, and nervous. She had planned on having Calleigh nearby for help. "And Kenny knows what to do, he was good with helpin' me with Harvey when he was little."

"Yeah we saw Harvey down by the Bayou, ain't you taught him not to mess with the life down there?" Kenny asked.

Calleigh shook her head. "I thought I did, but apparently I was mistaken."

"Oh. Well who was that man we saw him with? Wild red hair, looked like his head was on fire. Think he's wearin' sunglasses."

She smirked, and grabbed a shot gun from the gun case in the coat closet. "Y'all keep an ear out for Jordan. I'm gonna go down and get that boy."

"…Are you gonna shoot him? He's not Old Yeller, ya know," Kenny joked.

The blond rolled her eyes. "You know it's for the gators, not him."

"Well who was the guy?"

Calleigh had already started walking, and smiled over her shoulder. "Never you mind. Be right back."

* * *

Boxes were packed and being loaded into the back of a U-Haul. "Horatio, I'm telling you, you didn't have to come out here to move me. I've moved myself before." She set another box in the back of the truck and rubbed her left shoulder. It had healed, but the doctor's recommendations were that no heavy lifting was to be done in the few months following. Moving qualified as 'heavy lifting,' and her shoulder was giving her trouble. Not that it was gonna stop her from doing it.

Horatio Caine smirked. She was very independent, wasn't she? Even if it was just a bravado, she was wearing it well. Calleigh hadn't been an independent woman in almost a decade, and she seemed to be slipping back into her old self rather quickly. Too quickly, if you asked him, and that worried him some. "I know, Sweetheart." He set and pushed a box in the truck beside the one Calleigh had just put in. "But you're not moving just you this time, and I don't want you to be overwhelmed."

Overwhelmed? "That's the understatement of the year," she mumbled, immediately hoping that Horatio hadn't heard. Even if she was just a little more than 'overwhelmed,' she knew he really was only trying to help. He was too kind, and if Calleigh didn't know him as well as she did, she'd be slightly suspicious of him and his ulterior motives. But she'd known him for something shy of twenty years, and she knew there were no motives disguised behind his actions. He genuinely wanted to make sure she and her children were safe, and Calleigh appreciated that more than she could express. "I'm gonna go get a drink, you want me to get you somethin'?"

The man nodded his head. "A glass of ice water would be great."

"Alrighty," she nodded.

"Ma'am?"

She looked over her shoulder, slowly turning the rest of her body towards her…what was he? _Here we go again,_ Calleigh thought. The 'where do we stand?' stage, where neither of them knows what's really going on. "Yeah?"

"Why don't you take a break, hmm? I'll finish loading a few more boxes and we'll wake the kids for lunch."

It was Calleigh's turn to nod. "Sounds like a good idea." She smirked, and pushed her sunglasses up atop her head. "You just wanna check up on Eric and Taylor, don't you?" She watched as Horatio gave a smirk of his own and looked to the ground before looking at her again.

"Guilty," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "I just worry about her."

She took a deep breath. "I know, Handsome." She let her eyes linger on him a little longer, watching him pull out his cell, before heading inside.

The house was completely quiet, save the soft music coming from her bedroom. Both kids were asleep on her bed, (they'd been sleeping with her in there as their beds had been disassembled and loaded into the truck) and had been passed out for about an hour and a half. The A/C felt nice, and there was a little hesitation to leave it when she left its comfort to give Horatio his glass of ice water. In the few moments she was outside, she saw eyes peeking from windows, people staring on their way from their cars to their houses, from their houses to their mail boxes. She wondered what they were thinking. Had they noticed she and the kids had disappeared? Did they notice that Ben had, too? And now she was back, laying low until a man they'd never seen before was helping her move. _What does it matter what they think? Let them stare, Cal, _she told herself. They didn't matter to her. How many of them had heard the screams coming from her house? How many times had she gotten together with the other neighborhood moms with injuries? How many of them had ever tried to help her? These people weren't stupid, they knew something was wrong, but they couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. After she'd looked at each one of them, made them feel uncomfortable enough to reoccupy themselves, she went inside to fix lunch.

Her eyes skimmed over the few contents of her fridge, and she decided on BLTs for her and Horatio and ham and cheese sandwiches for the kids. Pulling out the bacon and the frying pan, she turned on the stove and let herself slip into thought. Her life in the last two months had gotten rather complicated and simple at the same time, and she couldn't really wrap her mind around it. It amazed her at how easily her children had taken the news of their father's "move." She hated to lie to them, (and she was sure Ben's family was furious at her for keeping them from his funeral service) but she didn't want either of them to end up giving Horatio a hard time for being the man who killed their father should anything eventually get more serious between she and him. And from what she could see, from the time they'd spent with him in Miami, the kids liked Horatio. How Horatio felt about them wasn't even a question, she knew he loved them simply because they were hers. It was the same with Taylor, who she'd become just as fond of in her time in the Sunshine State. And just two months had gone by since Ben's death. It didn't matter how long she'd wanted out of Ben's grasp, in some sick and twisted way she still loved him. She loved him, but she didn't miss him. And a couple months after her husband's death? It wasn't appropriate socially or personally to even think of a relationship with someone else. But somehow, that's what was happening. It didn't feel like it was just beginning, though. It felt like things had been building up to this moment all these years. That – and as wrong as this sounds, it's the only way she could think to explain it, even to herself – that Ben and Marisol were just time fillers, something to occupy her and Horatio until they decided on what to do. Even though they hadn't really decided on anything, they both knew something would end up happening. She trusted him more than anyone else. He knew everything about her. Everything from when she left Miami to when she showed up in Miami two months ago. He had intimate details about her marriage that no one else did, he knew all the rotten things Ben Jones had done to her and her children. There was nothing she had to worry about with Horatio, right? The click of a door shutting stole her from her solitude, and she spun around to see Horatio carrying Jordan from her bedroom.

The sizzling of the bacon had died down in the last few moments. Had she heard him come in? He must've caught the confusion on her face, because he smiled gently and explained. "I came in through the garage, thought I'd save you the trouble of multitasking and check on them myself."

"Oh," she said simply as she pulled out the cutting board without looking away from him. "I must've been deafened by the bacon, I really couldn't hear anything." She grabbed the only kitchen knife she could find and started slicing tomatoes. "Thanks though. Harvey still asleep?"

Horatio nodded his answer, and sat down at the table, Jordan still in his arms. "He is. And I have all the boxes from the garage loaded into the truck. All that's left is the kitchen."

"Have I really been in here that long?" she asked, bewildered as she looked at the clock on the stove. She had, about twenty minutes had passed since she went into her deep thinking funk. "Oh my gosh." Her eyes swept around the kitchen. Plastic cups , utensils and paper plates were being used, as the actual kitchenware was packed, save for a few things needed to cook. "The kitchen, my bed, the couch and our suitcases," she corrected him. He'd been sleeping on the couch since he'd arrived. She tried to switch with him, but he wouldn't budge. And since he was sleeping on the couch, she wouldn't let him load it into the truck. That was something she wouldn't budge on, because it was her that needed to call Kenny to have him help move it. So, really, they were both a little stubborn. Or they'd reached a compromise, depending on how you looked at it.

"Right you are, Ma'am." He watched as Calleigh very carefully spread mayo on the toasted slices of bread. She'd always had her quirks, but since he'd had the chance to spend so much time out of the lab with her, he was seeing her in a whole new light, with new quirks he was coming to find endearing. Her perfectionism in the lab carried over into her home life, as he could see with the way she assembled the sandwiches precariously. And, it was completely irrelevant, but he absolutely loved how thick her southern accent had gotten in the last nine years. He felt Jordan wrap her small arms around his neck and lay her head against his shoulder. He was glad the children were taking a liking to him, he was worried that the events of their rescue would taint their view of him, but it didn't even seem to faze them. "I think, if we call your brother over before it gets too late, we could leave tonight and make most of the drive before the traffic gets too bad."

"I think that's a good idea, yeah." _A really good idea, considerin' I want to be out of here yesterday,_ she added silently. This home was no good to her, and she was in a rush to get out of it, move on past this point of her life. Such a rush, actually, that she didn't bother looking for a renter or buyer, the just turned it over to a real estate company. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to clear her mind as she made ham and cheese sandwiches cut in fours for the children. "I'll call him after lunch," she told him as she sat sandwiches down for him and Jordan.

Raising her head off Horatio's shoulder, Jordan's little hands reached for a triangle off her plate, and took a bite out of it, grinning up at the man. "That good?" he asked her.

Jordan gave him a typical toddler nod, over-exaggerated in movement, and giggled. "Mhmm!"

"Alright," he laughed. "Eat up, and maybe I can get your mommy to stop for ice cream later." As he said it, he glanced up at Calleigh.

She smirked and spoke in her Southern Belle drawl. "Yeah, nice try, Handsome." She winked, continuing. "I'm gonna go wake Harvey."

* * *

The cab of the U-Haul only sat three, with no back seat or room for car seats, so Horatio was behind the wheel of the large truck, Calleigh trailing behind him as discussed. She wanted him to be in front of her because someone driving behind her -- following her -- made her nervous, even if it was just Horatio. Her midnight blue stick shift Impala was two car lengths behind him, giving him enough room in his mirrors to see her and anything she might do. "Momma," Jordan called. "Momma, we ate our sammiches all gone. Can we stop for cream like H said we can now?"

Calleigh sighed. She and Harvey had been asking to stop for ice cream for two hours. "Jordan." Her eyes were on her daughter via the rear view mirror. "H said 'maybe' we'd get ice cream. And it's too late to stop now, if we do, you won't fall asleep."

"My will too fall sleep!" Jordan protested. "Trust me."

Jordan's protests bothered her a lot less than they should, simply because Jordan never said 'I,' it was always 'my,' and Calleigh couldn't help but think it was cute. 'My will too fall sleep,' 'my ate my sammich all gone,' 'no my don't.' And did her daughter really just say 'Trust me'? Ha! Calleigh needed to stop saying that around her, she was beginning to pick things up faster and faster. "No, Baby, trust _me._ You'll be awake all night and end up crankin' all day tomorrow."

"No my won't."

"Jordan." If this was a three year old trying to argue with her, what would it be like in ten years when she was thirteen? She shuddered, and forced the thought from her mind. She'd cross -- or jump off -- that bridge when she got to it. When she got to it ten years from now. "Please, just try to go to sleep for Momma, okay? It's late."

The drive lasted for a few more hours, and they were crossing the Mississippi/Alabama border when her cell phone rang. Her brand new cell phone, which she'd gotten the month before in Miami. The only ones who had this number were her siblings, her father, and her friends at the lab. Her hand flew over to the passenger seat to silence the ringer before it woke the kids, and she pressed the speaker to her ear. There was no need to look at the screen. "Gettin' tired?"

"Not really," the voice on the other side replied calmly. "Are you?"

"No." Truth was, she was too anxious to be tired. Ben was dead, but she still felt the need to check over her shoulder every once in a while, to make sure he wasn't there to try and stop her for good. She was absolutely sure that his family would try to pull some funny stuff with the kids, and suing the state of Florida for a wrongful death. Horatio still hadn't told her exactly what happened, just that he'd shot Ben. She glanced in her rear view mirror at both children. Harvey was buckled in and leaning against a pillow that was wedged between his head and the door. Jordan's head was back against her car seat and tipped to one side, her mouth hanging open a little for fly catching. "Kids are out like lights, though. Took long enough, they wouldn't give the ice cream thing a rest."

Horatio chuckled. "Sorry about that." The line went silent for a few moments, and he was happy just to hear Calleigh's breath on the other end. It meant she was still there, still behind him, still alive. "Why don't we..." His attention was taken by the rapidly approaching headlights, and his tone turned serious. "I want you to pull around, get in front of me."

Confusion was audible in the woman's voice. "...What? You know how I feel about that, we dis -- "

"Do you trust me?"

The question bewildered her, and she was a little angry that he'd even needed to ask. "Of _course_ I trust you, Horatio, and I told you it's not about -- "

"Then get in front of me, Calleigh. And whatever you do, don't hang up." She grudgingly obliged his request, and he thanked her quietly as the headlights got so close they were almost blinding him. They veered to the left, and Horatio tightened his grip on the wheel, tilting it slightly to follow the lights. The car slowed down, and tried to get around to the right of the U-Haul. Horatio didn't let him by that way, either.

In her rear view mirror, Calleigh saw the truck behind her weaving back and forth, and her eyes went wide. "Horatio, what's going on?"

"Just keep driving, Sweetheart."

She did as he said, but her eyes weren't fully devoted to watching the road. She wasn't even worried about her belongings in the back of the truck. She was most concerned about Horatio right now. That's when she saw the second set of headlights dancing with the U-Haul's. "Horatio, he's trying to pass you."

"I know, and I'm not gonna let that happen." The driver of the car Horatio was blocking rolled down his window and stuck his hand out, aiming a gun, and started taking shots.

Calleigh easily recognized that sound anywhere, even through a phone. "Are you being shot at?!" she asked quietly as to not wake her children, but the intensity of the question was not lost through the low volume.

"Speed up and take the next exit."

"Are you gonna follow me off?"

"Once you get off, just pull over and wait a few minutes before getting back on the interstate." He was still doing a pretty good job of keeping the car behind him, despite the shots being fired.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I'll meet you at the next rest stop." With that, Horatio ended the call and watched as Calleigh nearly doubled her speed, and did just opposite of what she was instructed to do. Instead of taking the next exit, she turned off her headlights and took a hard left and disappeared into the median of trees to the other side of the highway. When he saw she had disappeared, he shook his head. "I hope you know what you're doing, Calleigh," he muttered to the dead air in the truck.

* * *

The other car hadn't noticed she'd switched directions on the interstate. At least, she didn't think it did. If it had, then it hadn't followed her, and that meant one thing: there was another car waiting for her in this direction. "Shit," she whispered under her breath. Why did she always seem to do things the hard way? There was a turn off in the median every mile or so on the interstate, and she would just take the next one. But…why was this car after her? There was no logical reason, that she could think of. The next turn seemed miles away from the initial turn around, and Calleigh was praying that no other cars tried to ram her off the road before she reached it.

She switched back over to the Eastbound side of the interstate, checking on her children in the mirror. Still asleep, thank goodness. They didn't need to be awake for this. Her headlights stayed off, and it was quite some time before she saw the dancing taillights before her. This was the moment she needed to decide. Decide between whether she wanted to let Horatio fight this battle alone, or to put her life and the lives of her children in danger to help him. Horatio had been selfless; he'd helped her with the battle she'd been in, and had the possibility of Taylor getting injured or getting himself killed. Was she that selfless? Calleigh was absolutely certain that he wouldn't be getting shot at if it weren't for her. She took a deep breath. If she timed it right and kept her steering wheel steady, she and the kids wouldn't be hurt.

Her right foot eased up on the gas as her left foot held down the clutch, right hand sliding the gear shift into fifth gear. Letting out the clutch and pressing the gas pedal to the floor, the needle on her speedometer started climbing faster. 70, 75, 80…and she was right on the car's rear end when she hit 90. Flicking on not only her headlights but her high beams, the car swerved and she moved into position.

She moved into position, and then she stopped.

Her left foot was once again pressing in the clutch, and her right foot was standing on the brakes. Calleigh turned her lights back off, and after a moment of sitting at a complete stop, she watched the car stop swerving as it crashed into the trees in the median. The sudden stop and the sound of the crash had woken Harvey and Jordan, scaring both. She shifted into first gear before pulling off onto the side of the road. She couldn't do it. Had her children not been in the car, she wouldn't have thought twice about doing it. Calleigh thought herself expendable, when it came to the lives of the people she loved. Her children, however, were not expendable. Not in the least. But her last-minute decision to stop had paid off still. The car had crashed into the trees. Jordan had managed to unbuckle herself and climb into the front seat, into her mother's lap. Calleigh wrapped her arms around her daughter, and kissed the top of her head. "You okay, Bubba?" she asked, looking in the rear view mirror. Harvey nodded, staring at the crashed car. "Okay. Okay, good." She adjusted the girl in her lap so that she could manage to drive. The Impala was put into gear, and she drove off, taking the next exit. The closest thing with a lighted parking lot to see her surroundings was a McDonald's, so she pulled in and parked. One arm was used for comforting Jordan, and her other hand wrapped itself around her phone and pressed redial, praying there was an answer.

As soon as he pressed the button to accept the call, he could hear a young girl whimpering. "Are you and the kids alright?"

Calleigh was so glad to hear his voice she could've cried. "We're fine, I'm a little more concerned about you right now."

"I'm okay, Ma'am. That was some good thinking on your part."

_Sure doesn't feel like it,_ she thought. _I feel like a coward._ "Thanks," she said softly.

"Are you sure you and the kids are alright?"

"They're fine, just a little startled by the sound of the crash. Where are you?"

"The Marriot on the exit. I think it's a good idea that we get some rest, it's been a long day. Are you still on the interstate?"

"No, I'm sitting in the Mickey D's parking lot. But I think that's a good idea, I'll be right there."

"Alright. I'll be waiting."

"Wait!" she said, wanting to catch him before he hung up.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied. She was ready to change her mind, to just say 'nevermind' and let him hang up. Instead, she said, "Will you just…stay on the line with me?"

He gave a smile to comfort her, even though she couldn't see it. "Of course, Sweetheart."


	14. too soon

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own any of the _CSI: Miami _team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, _mine_. I have a computer, _CSI:M_ DVDs, and ADD: oh, the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

The hours before had been something else. She thought her nightmare was over. Her kids were safe from their father, and she didn't have to worry about him trying to come after them. She thought that she'd be able to pick up somewhere close to where she left off in Miami. Her i's had been dotted and her t's crossed, but her plan was quickly going awry. Where did Calleigh make a mistake? Now not only was Ben dead -- him being killed wasn't something she intended to happen -- but now someone was trying to kill her and for all she knew, the kids and Horatio, too. Could this get any worse?

Horatio got her and the kids settled into the room he rented, and the kids were asleep beside their mother within a half hour. Calleigh was a different story, however. She'd spent most of the night checking on her children and "watching" infomercials. We'll use that term lightly, because what she was really doing was staring blankly at the pretty pictures moving across the bright television screen. Horatio had spent a fair amount of time, per Calleigh's request, checking the doors and windows to make sure they were locked fast. Their room was on the ground floor. A request as well, her reasoning being "In case we have to get out, we're not trapped high up." He could understand her paranoia though, and humored her.

Calleigh did try to sleep, and it was an honest to goodness try. She laid down for two hours with her eyes closed, but her mind kept going about the car chasing them. One thought lead to another, which lead to another, and that to another. The train of thought couldn't be pulled to a halt, so she eventually ended up "watching" more infomercials. Just before the sun came up, she snuck out to her car and popped open the trunk. After a fair bit of searching through the suitcases, she found what she had been looking for: the wig she'd worn for her first day back in Miami, and her makeup bag full of cosmetics and hair jiggers.

She had changed her outfit and was now standing in the dimly lit nook where the sink was, staring at herself in the mirror. She almost felt like she was back in the washroom of that bar, with Natalia standing beside her. Her hair was its natural wavy state, just like it was that night. With a heavy sigh, she started pinning her hair back to put on the wig. It wasn't something she liked on herself. It made her look too pale, she thought. She lived in the south, yes, but there were rarely times Ben allowed her to be outside in anything other than jeans and a t-shirt when she wasn't at work. Actually, there were rarely times Ben allowed her to be outside period. If she had any tan, it was only a farmer's tan. And Calleigh had never really thought about how limited her wardrobe had been while she was married. Did she have her own sense of style anymore? Did she even know what was stylish nowadays? A grimace passed over her face as she painted her lips red -- abnormal for her. When it came to make up, she'd always been a nude-toned or earth-toned girl. They both easily went with her skin tone and anything she happened to be wearing. For today, her selection of eye shadow was a smoky dark gray, and eyes lined with a black liner, thicker than her usual. No mascara today. With a look at the finished product in the mirror, her makeup was flawless but she wasn't sure about this style. She felt like a Bettie Page wanna-be, but she was trying not to look like herself as much as possible. She'd succeeded; she didn't recognize herself at all. All she needed to do now was ditch her car. And for that, she was concocting a plan.

The sound of hard plastic being moved around woke Horatio, and the first thing he saw was a silhouette he didn't recognize standing in front of the mirror. The reflection he saw somewhat surprised him. The only time he'd seen Calleigh do her make up that dark but bright was the last department Halloween outing she'd attended, where she'd dressed up like Abby Sciuto from NCIS. She had to be planning something. He knew that if there was one thing that Calleigh was, it was resourceful. She used what little she might have and made it work. It went hand-in-hand with the fact that she was quick to think on the fly, and he'd told her a few times before, in her previous life, that she thought too much. Horatio could see that hadn't changed, and wondered how many times that advantage had saved her life in her marriage. "Calleigh?" He watched her look at him in the mirror and tried not to smirk when he saw her cheeks go pink.

"I know, I look ridiculous. I'll try not to embarrass you too much, Horatio," she said as she physically tried not to sneer at her reflection.

"You don't look ridiculous." He shook his head as he sat up and kicked his legs over the side of the bed, giving the smallest of grins. "Actually, I kind of like it." He saw her try not to smile or blush as she looked away, and start a menial task just like she used to in the old days. That got a full smile out of him. "Really, it doesn't look bad at all. Now..." he got up to stand beside her, noticing her turn towards him just the slightest, and he cocked his head to the side. "What are you doing?" As he spoke, her hands were busy filling the makeup bag.

Calleigh had the feeling this was going to be one of those "You really shouldn't think so much" talks, but she didn't let those bother her anymore. She was so used to being told that, her mind didn't really register those statements anymore. "We need to get rid of my car," she told him over the sound of the zipper on her bag. "We need to get to the nearest city and find a Hertz or an Enterprise or...somethin'."

"And what are we going to do with your car, once we have a rental?" Of course that was her plan. He knew that, to Calleigh, being the best CSI she could be meant being and staying several steps ahead of the criminal, which meant thinking like a criminal. And she was extremely good at that. (Sometimes he wondered how she'd gotten so good at it.) It wasn't hard for him to see that that part of her was taking over. "Calleigh," he sighed. "This isn't a case. You don't have to think three steps ahead of someone else, just yourself."

She looked up at him, and simply blinked. Did those words really just come out of his mouth? This isn't a case? That...blew her mind. She never thought...Did he really mean to say that there's nothing to investigate, nothing to protect herself or her children from? Had she not had the kids to worry about, she'd probably just take his word and trust him and whatever reasoning or logic he had. But her most basic, primitive instinct to protect her young was stronger than her instinct to trust him. He, of all people, should know that. He was a parent himself, and a single one at that. She turned away from him, heading over to the suitcases to get clothes picked out for the children.

"Sweetheart." She didn't answer him. "Calleigh."

She inhaled deeply. "Are you not the man who was drivin' that truck last night?" Her serious tone was not to be lost in the low volume of her voice, and he knew that. Calleigh was trying not to wake the children. She closed the space between them, and looked up at him from under her brow. "Because I don't know about you, but I'm terrified, Horatio. I tend to take someone tryin' to kill me a little personally."

Did she? Because if she did, then she wouldn't be in this predicament right now. Running from someone who she didn't know, but knew her and wanted her dead. And she would've taken care of the Ben situation as soon as it started; there would've been no bruises, no broken bones, no need for a midnight escape. Still, despite the huge self-contradiction on Calleigh's part, he didn't want to disbelieve her. "And that is something you should take personally, Calleigh. That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what _are_ you tryin' to say, Horatio? Please, tell me, because I'm not in the mood to play guessin' games."

She'd not been this defensive towards him in...years. And he didn't like that she felt she had to be, he wasn't a threat to her or her children, and he didn't mean or want to be. She'd changed so significantly in the time she'd been in Louisiana, he wasn't quite sure how to approach this. "What I'm saying is that what happened last night is not going to happen again."

How could he know that? There was no way he could know that. She knew he knew better than to rely on that philosophy. In their line of work, that philosophy could get you killed. Calleigh studied his face for a moment before she shook her head. "You don't believe that." She held his gaze for a moment longer before she bent down to pick up the kids' clothes from the day before, turning them inside out and folding them to be put in a suitcase.

There was no arguing with her. She was right, he didn't believe that, but for some reason he thought it would comfort her. And for a second, he forgot that he wasn't on duty or dealing with a victimized woman of Miami. He was dealing with a woman who knew how to read him better than most, even after a decade. A woman who he used to know just as well. "You're right; I don't," he admitted. "But it _is_ my job to protect you and your family, Calleigh, you have to let me do that. We have the advantage over them, with or without your car."

She wasn't going to let herself focus on the fact that he called protecting her and her kids a 'job.' No, she was too busy focusing on the fact that he seemed to be doubting her precautionary survival skills. Skills that, for the most part, she'd learned on his team. "Horatio..." She shook her head with a sigh.

His eyes were already trained on her, but he lifted his head so he wasn't looking at her from under his brow. "Yes?"

It took her a moment, but she finally replied. "Nothing." What were they doing? Was this how it was going to be? "Maybe this wasn't a good idea," she muttered under her breath, almost not caring if Horatio heard her or not. Moving over to the bed the children were sleeping in, she gently nudged them awake. "Wakey wakey smokey cakey," she said at a normal volume. "We need to get dressed and go."

Harvey rolled onto his back and looked up at his mother. It took him a minute to realize it was her, though. "Momma, why you dressed so funny? You look weird."

Calleigh scoffed lightly before chuckling. "Thanks, son."

"You do."

"Well _my _think she looks _pretty,_" Jordan defended her mother, looking directly at her brother as she did so.

"Pretty, but still funny lookin'."

"Thank you, Baby." She smiled at Jordan and made a silly face at Harvey. "Momma felt like playin' dress up today, that's all."

Jordan's eyes lit up. "My wanna play dress up!"

Calleigh smiled softly. "As soon as we get settled into our new house, Baby Doll, okay? Momma has your dress up clothes all packed away."

The sparkle in the little girl's eyes was gone, and as her shoulders fell slightly, she nodded. "'Kay."

"Alright." She kissed the forehead of both children. "Now get dressed, we gotta go. Clothes for y'all are next to the TV."

Keeping Calleigh, Harvey and Jordan safe was Horatio's goal on this trip, and he didn't want to make his long time friend any more uncomfortable than she already was, so he'd decided to go along with her plan. He had a rough idea of what it was, and knew that she was still thinking several steps ahead of whoever was in that car the night before. She not only wanted to know, but needed to know what to do next. She'd always been like that. How could she be so different and opposite of what he used to know, but still be almost exactly the same? The human mind wasn't his area of expertise, and he made a mental note to look into that, but he doubted he ever would.

The morning hours were spent in the nearest metropolitan area. They'd rented a 2010 Kia Sportage with tinted windows, and Horatio followed Calleigh down the road to a small, independent car lot where they sold her Impala. She was unrecognizable with her wig, makeup and rental car, which made her feel somewhat safe, but not completely. Within a few hours, they were back on the road. Harvey had dug his Nintendo DS out of the backpack Calleigh had loaded with things to keep the two occupied during the drive. Jordan was hugging a baby doll (a baby doll that she'd dubbed 'Bella Mia') close as she stared out the window at the wildflowers lit by the sun. Calleigh didn't have to have Horatio in sight to know that he'd already put on his sunglasses, that he'd probably had them on as soon as he'd seen the sunlight start peeking over the horizon. Pretty soon, she'd be digging her own glasses out of her purse. It was amazing how he was still as predictable – to her, anyway – as he was ten years ago. And if she could put money on it, she'd bet that those were the same pair of glasses he'd had when she'd left, too. Glasses – something she'd have to remember to make an appointment to get. When it came to being on the computer or reading, or examining any sort of evidence up close, she found herself with the natural reaction to pull it away from her face to read or see it clearly.

It was nearly six in the evening, and they'd not yet passed the Florida state line. But nothing had happened, either. No more being chased by mysterious cars, no gun shots, no car crashes. The rest of the road trip was eventless, much to Calleigh's pleasure, as were their first few days of Miami life.

* * *

It took about two weeks to get things straightened out, get clothes unpacked and furniture set up and rooms somewhat arranged. The kids were enrolled in schools – Harvey in the local elementary school and Jordan in the PlayCare Learning Center with Taylor. A week after the move, Calleigh had gotten back into the groove at Miami-Dade Crime Lab, despite the new faces that were all around her. Some of them she remembered seeing while she was waiting for Horatio and Eric to come back with her children, others she'd seen during her desk duty days, but she hadn't interacted with any of them. Natalia, Eric and Ryan had introduced her to them one by one. All of them knew who she was, and greeted her with comments such as "So nice to finally meet you!" and "I've heard a lot about you!" In truth, she felt kind of unprepared, because she'd heard nothing of these people. All she could do was smile and say, "Oh, really? Gosh…" She did her best to mix and mingle with everyone, but noticed she had a tendency to gravitate towards her friends, who were familiar and comfortable.

It also took a week for Calleigh to get her hands on Ben's autopsy report. Well, actually, scratch that. It took a week for her to work up the nerve to look at it. Looking at it would be so…final. She loved him and hated him. And this was closure, solid proof that Ben couldn't physically hurt her anymore. She knew that. But whether her mind chose to accept and acknowledge that fact was yet to be seen. With that being said, she couldn't help but think that Ben was behind the car chase that had taken place in Alabama. Not literally behind the wheel, but that he had…somehow arranged it, like he knew what was going to happen.

A deep breath filled Calleigh's lungs, and she flipped the file folder open. She found herself gasping for air; the picture of Ben was right on top of everything, just like she knew it would be, but it still knocked the breath out of her. She reached out for the wall's support, leaning back against it, and the cold surface against her back made her shudder. His brown eyes were closed, his chestnut hair falling to either side of his head. Even in death, a scowl seemed to cover his face. _Maybe it was a grimace of pain,_ she thought as her eyes landed on his neck, _seeing as the last thing he felt was his neck exploding._

His neck. Horatio had shot him in the neck. What…what in the hell was he thinking? He could be terminated because of that. And if Eric saw, which she had a feeling he knew exactly what happened, he could be, too. _So much for Horatio being predictable._ Reading farther into the file, she saw that not only had her husband been shot in the neck (and she knew it was a miracle that her children escaped without getting covered in blood) but in the torso and arm as well. The file was like a train wreck, her own personal train wreck. You know how those are. Completely disgusting and gruesome and horrible but you can't seem to stop staring. She couldn't stop reading. Injuries, both new and old were listed. The tox report absolutely blew her mind, though. There was no way this was accurate. She knew the man she married was an alcoholic – an 'accomplished drinker,' as she referred to it. That was no surprise to her that he had been drinking not long before he was shot. But to read over his tox screen and see that he'd been _high_ before it happened? She kept reading. They'd done a strand test on his hair as a follow-up. Ben was a forty-six year old man with a drug addiction? There was…how did she not notice this? Her eyes stung and her breaths began getting shallower. She shouldn't have looked at this. It was too soon. Too soon. The effects of tunnel vision began to set in, and with closed eyes she forced herself to take deeper breaths.

"Can I help you?" The woman that had just walked into the morgue was eyeing Calleigh. She'd never seen her before. From what little she could make out through her tunnel vision, the woman was short with blond hair cropped in a pixie cut. It looked like she had rather porcelain-like skin, but she could've been wrong, and eye color was a mystery. She couldn't make that out. Calleigh didn't say anything to answer her, she couldn't. She was rendered breathless and speechless. All she could do was shake her head. "Then can I ask why you're here looking at confidential files?"

Calleigh looked up at the woman, taking a moment to find her voice. She smelled the familiar smell of cigarettes wafting through the air. "No, you can't." She handed the file to the woman before brushing past her to the elevator. It had never bothered her, being enclosed in an elevator, but at the moment, she could almost feel her airways tightening. She was just seconds from clawing her way out when the doors opened, allowing her to breathe (somewhat) easier. She stepped out onto the main floor and made a fast break for the ballistics lab.

"Duquesne?"

She kept walking, trying to blink her way to better vision. Horatio had shot her husband in the arm and the neck. Eric had watched him do it. Her children heard him do it. And not only had he been coming off a buzz when he died, but he was on a high, too. What the hell had Horatio been thinking?! He and Eric both could lose their jobs for disregarding protocol, not to mention failing to report it.

"Duquesne."

The voice was still behind her, and she kept walking. Did Horatio know about the tox findings? Did anyone else? There was no doubt a joint investigation made by --

"Duquesne!"

She sighed, mentally cursing at the idiot who was yelling through the hallways at whoever didn't want to answer them. And then it dawned on her. They were hollering for _her. She _was Duquesne. Turning around to meet the source of the voice, she wasn't surprised to see him. It was his personal mission to screw with her team's heads before she left. And by the smug grin on Stetler's face, it was apparent that that hadn't changed any. "Rick."

"You do know the department requires an annual hearing test, don't you?"

"Yeah, Rick, I've been briefed on new department policies. I'm just..." She shook her head, not finishing her statement. She couldn't say she wasn't used to being called that anymore, because she wasn't in Miami as Calleigh Jones. She was in Miami as Calleigh Duquesne, and if they didn't know she'd been Jones, then they didn't need to.

"Oh, that's right," he nodded. "I heard you got married, yeah. Congratulations. When do we get to meet him?" he asked. The blonde's eyes narrowed and nostrils flared as she coldly glared at him for a moment before she turned on her heel and stormed away. How did he know? Two pairs of footsteps approached him, and he looked over. "What did I say?"

Natalia shook her head and went after Calleigh without a word, just a huff. "You know exactly what you said, Stetler." Eric's glare was just as stony as Calleigh's. "Leave her alone," he warned before following the women.

Inside the ballistics lab, it wasn't much of a battle to keep her voice from shaking. She couldn't let Stetler bother her. She knew how he was, and she knew better than to let him bother her. The clicking of high heels behind her told her exactly who was tailing her. "Where's Horatio?"

"Ignore Stetler, Cal," Natalia told her friend. "He's just trying to rattle you."

Calleigh shook her head. "I didn't want to talk to him about Rick. It's about something else." She took the eye protection from the table, and placed them atop her head. Her mind was still spinning from the file. "Natalia…I need a minute alone, if you wouldn't mind?" She watched as the brunette nodded. "Thanks."

"Call me if you need anything?"

"I will," Calleigh promised.

Natalia turned to the door to be met by Eric, and shook her head at him. A look of confusion crossed his face. "I need your help with some evidence, c'mon." She saw him open his mouth to say something. "She just wants to be alone," Natalia whispered to him.

"You got it," he replied, following her lead.

"Hey, guys?" Calleigh asked. Natalia and Eric turned around. "You don't have to go lookin' for him, but if you see Horatio, just…tell him I need to speak with him?"

"Of course, yeah." Eric nodded again. The duo left the blond to be, making it three-quarters down the hallway before looking back at her to see her donning eye and ear protection to fire off some test rounds. The silence between the two of them lasted until they reached the trace lab, and was broken by Eric's voice. "I think it's too soon for her to be back."

"We all thought the same thing after you got shot, Eric."

"But I was ready to come back."

"No, you _thought_ you were ready to come back. And we supported you." Natalia's brown eyes looked into his. She felt bad her friend was going through this, and to an extent, knew what was going through her friend's head from her own personal experience. "Calleigh thinks she's ready, and we're gonna support her too." She pointed to a vial of clear liquid. "Will you hand me that?"

"Sure." He passed her the vial, and looked around at the evidence on the table. "You said you needed my help, but...it looks like you've got everything done."

Natalia grinned at Eric. "Yeah, I know, that's all I needed you for." Eric just smirked.

"Call me when you get an _actual_ _lead,_ okay? I'm gonna go see Perez out in DNA."

"Perez is in DNA? I thought Perez was in ballistics with Calleigh?"

"No. H has them switching on and off this week. Both of them are so used to having the lab to themselves for the day shift. I guess New Orleans only had one ballistics expert for each shift, like we did. So he's breaking them into the routine of sharing next week."

"…They are nooot gonna like that, I can tell you that much right now."

"Nah, they'll get along fine." Natalia gave him an 'Okay, and pigs just flew past my window' look. "You don't think so?"

"Not really," she replied with a shake of her head. "If Perez is in DNA, then where's Valera?"

" Her day off."

"Lucky her," Natalia murmured inaudibly. "Alright, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, later." The distance between the trace and DNA labs seemed farther than usual, and the man's mind got to wandering. She really didn't think the two would hit it off? Eric could see a good amount of similarities between the two. How would they not get along? They were both fluent in the same two languages, they both held a fascination with guns, science, spicy foods and…

"Oh, is that Delko, without the file I asked for?"

He looked up at the woman who had spoken to him. Barefoot, she barely cleared the five-foot-one mark, and not only Eric but most of the Miami-Dade staff towered over her. "What? Oh, I was on my way to get it, actually. You wanna go?"

"I already have it. Went down to get it myself," she smirked, pointing to the table. "I think the secretary should be more careful about who they let on the elevator, though. Found someone down in the morgue poking around in the files."

Someone was in the morgue? That was a security breach they couldn't afford, not with Stetler walking around and causing trouble today. "Did you tell Horatio?"

The girl shook her head. "Haven't seen him since he got back from leave."

No one knew why Horatio had taken leave, or where he'd planned to spend it. He'd split up his return date from Calleigh's, giving her a week's grace period to get settled. Horatio wanted to be back at work before she was to help ease in the transition. Eric knew that, he was the only one apart from Natalia who knew. And they'd both been asked to keep it under wraps. If Rick had found out…Eric didn't want to think of how far Horatio would have to go to protect himself and his team. "What'd they look like?"

She shrugged. "Female, five-fourish, long blond hair. I'd say she was albino, pero los ojos, ella tuvo ojos verdes. Had this file."

Eric eyed her as he took the file she was handing him, opening it up to take a gander, effortlessly and automatically translating part of her statement into English. She said that the woman had green eyes instead of ultra light blue. You'd never know it by looking at her, but Spanish was her first language. She was a rather small, petite woman who stood at five-three with heels. Her blond hair was short and wispy and her eyes were a cerulean blue. "She's not albino, Perez." He only looked over the front page of the file before closing it and looking up at the woman. "She's your new lab mate. That was Calleigh."

"_That's_ the woman you all have been talking about? Natalia said she was a sweetheart." She thought back on her encounter with the woman in the morgue. "And by 'sweetheart,' I think she meant 'total witch.' Jesus."

"Hey, c'mon, Rio." He set the file down a table as he fully entered the room. "Give her a break, she's had a tough few weeks."

She turned her back to him, fumbling around with things on the table. "We've _all_ had a rough go of it in the last few weeks. With Horatio on a mysterious field trip and Rick having a field day with it…"

"I told you, you don't have to worry about him." A hand of Eric's slipped around her waist, snaking around her stomach, pulling her to him. He leaned in close. "H won't let anything happen, trust me."

She didn't give him the satisfaction of a smile. "Not at work," she said, wiggling out of his arm, stepping over to a microscope. "Jones, right?"

"No, Duquesne." He gave a nervous chuckle. "Where'd you get that?"

Rio Perez looked up from the microscope at her boyfriend-under-wraps. "From the file?"

"Oh, I thought you were talking about Calleigh." He nodded. "Yeah, his name was Jones. Why?"

"Curiosity," she shrugged. She'd picked up on the slightly nervous tone in his laugh. There was something off about this new girl, and whatever it was being covered up, it had something to do with the man in the file. When she'd walked into the morgue today, it looked like Calleigh was close to joining the residents of the cold metal drawers. All the color had run out of her face, leaving her the color of ranch dressing, and seemed to be having a little trouble keeping herself conscious. "Why'd you think I was talking about your friend?"

* * *

Bang! A shot rang out. And two more. Three shots weren't needed for a comparison, but she hadn't gotten the chance to get to the shooting range in the two weeks she'd been back. She let her finger coax the trigger back until the magazine in the evidence gun was empty. Ten shots total, and when they were taken, the slide stuck back. She set the gun down on the small counter before her and took down her ear protection, fitting it snugly around the back of her neck.

"Ma'am?" There wasn't a question about who it was, but Calleigh turned to meet the source of the voice anyway. A beyond serious expression was glued to her face, something she didn't realize until Horatio tilted his head. "Why so serious?"

She shook her head. "I'm not. Just focusin' on the case, that's all. I'm fine."

He knew better than to believe that. "I've been told you wanted to speak to me," he said, fiddling with his sunglasses.

"Yeah, I did. Do. I do." She nodded, pushing the eye protection atop her head. "I know…" she let her voice trail off as she scowled a bit, taking a beat to think about how she wanted to word her statement. She turned her attention to the gun and took a deep breath. "I know about Tampa." She didn't want them to, but her eyes started to well up.

"Calleigh…" He hadn't intended her to find out, though it was known in the back of his mind that she would. He thought she'd have sense enough not to look at the case file, though. "You shouldn't have looked at that." She didn't look at him, but she did shake her head. He stepped up to her, head tilted to try and see her face. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head a bit more. "I don't know, Horatio." Her right hand wrapped itself around the handle of the gun, picking it up. "When were you plannin' to tell me about the tox report?" Her thumb flicked the slide release down, sending it forward with a loud 'click!' "Because…nevermind."

_'Nevermind.'_ The word seemed to be coming out of her mouth a lot lately, and he was certain it wasn't a good thing. He was so used to Calleigh speaking her mind, and it was very apparent to him that Ben had gotten her out of the habit of doing that. "You've been saying that quite a bit."

She pressed the magazine release button on the left side of the gun, catching the magazine in her left hand, and set the gun down on the counter again before looking up at him. "I don't know what you're talking about," Calleigh replied as she scribbled down case notes in a short hand that she learned in her second stint with the New Orleans Police Department. "Can we talk about this later? I have a lot of other things to do."

Horatio nodded. "Of course. I'll call you then?"

She nodded. "Yeah, call me," she said as she stood up and headed for the door of the glass barrier. Hand on the door handle, she stopped and looked back. "Oh. Rick found me. Natalia and Eric have that story."

"I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," she said, sliding gracefully through the doorway.


	15. how might normal be

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSI:M DVDs, and ADD: oh, the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

A/N: I have the biggest apologies ever imaginable for taking so long with updating this, it really is unacceptable. A lot happened since the last update. I moved across the country, lost my sister and an aunt and am currently arranging a few more cross-country moves due to happen within the next year. And a huge, unending thank you to my best friend for helping me figure out what the hell to do with this. Taylor: "Confessions..." Jordan: "Of a blonde preggo gun lady!" Taylor: "No I meant more like - wait Usher got Emily P pregnant?" I love you, bestie!

Oh - congrats to Emily P! :)

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSI:M DVDs, and ADD: oh, the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

Two thirty am. Two. Thirty. In the morning. And what was she doing? Laying in bed, wide awake. The envy she felt towards her children right now was growing. They were lying next to her, fast asleep. Calleigh had been hearing noises all night, and had carried them in with her right before she'd gone through and swept the house. She was currently laying on her right side, arm curled up underneath her pillow and hand slipped into her pillowcase cradling her Taurus .380, the safety clicked on. Her left arm was wrapped around Jordan's middle, her phone and a tissue in her left hand. And for the most part, Calleigh's eyes had been glued to the door, her ears peeled for sounds that weren't supposed to be there. The sounds were just little things. Creaks here and there, from the old floorboards and fixtures. But occasionally there were ticks and bumps and bangs in the other parts of the house. Before she knew what she was doing, her arm wasn't around her daughter anymore, but instead lifting her hand to her ear, listening to the ringing on the other end of the line. One ring. Then two. She wasn't gonna blame him if he didn't answer. She'd let him know earlier that day what she thought about Ben's file. Three rings.

"Calleigh?"

She was still mad at him for keeping information on Ben from her, and how he handled Ben, she couldn't help but smile at the sound of his voice. Almost three months of hearing him say her name, and it was always like she were hearing it for the first time in ten years.

There was no answer. Horatio spoke again, this time a little more urgently. "Calleigh, Sweetheart? Is everything alright?"

She took a deep breath and spoke quietly. "I didn't think you'd answer."

"Why wouldn't I answer?" He wouldn't just ignore her call. Surely she didn't think that. ...Did she? "Are you and the children alright?"

"I thought you'd be asleep, is all," she lied, rolling onto her back and removing her hand from under the pillow and taking the tissue in her now free hand. "We're fine, I think. Why're you still up?"

She thought he'd be asleep? Well. It was half past two in the morning. Any one else would be sleeping. At least he made it into his pajamas. Horatio looked down to the small redheaded child sleeping next to him, hugging his hand. "The storm woke Taylor up. I had to bring her in with me." He could tell she was exhausted but it didn't sound like she'd been to sleep. "Tell me what you're thinking."

That made Calleigh smile a little. "You're such a good dad." She let a few moments pass before she spoke again. What was she thinking? "Well. I think that...I'm extremely lucky to have children that aren't afraid of storms." A smile made its way into her voice, and she heard Horatio chuckle. And then she heard another creak from out in the living room. "And I think I'm glad you answered."

"Is that right?" he asked playfully. "And why might that be?"

"Because," she said quietly. "I'm scared, Horatio."

"Alright. I'm going to tell you...the same thing I told Taylor. The storm can't hurt you, Sweetheart. It's just loud noises and bright lights."

She wasn't joking around, but that made her laugh a little. "Stop, I'm serious," she giggled. "I'm hearing things. It's been happening all night. It sounds like someone's walking around in the house." The wind picked up outside, a strike of lightning lit up her room for a split second and a loud crack of thunder startled her. She couldn't help but gasp. Looking down at the children, she saw they were still asleep. A hand ran over her daughter's platinum blond hair, smoothing it out. "Gosh, how are they sleeping through this?"

This wasn't the Calleigh that Horatio knew. Miami was right on the ocean, and Florida was the lightning capitol of the United States. He'd seen her work through hundreds of storms during her years on his team, and she didn't so much as bat an eyelash at the lights and sounds. The Calleigh he knew didn't get startled during storms. "Are they in bed with you?"

"I brought them in with me about an hour ago, I swept the house." Another loud crack of thunder rang out through the city and strong gust of wind blew past her window, and Calleigh closed her eyes. 'It's just a storm,' she told herself. And then the sound of glass shattering resounded through the house.

* * *

His head against the pillow, Horatio was calm and content on the phone with Calleigh, doing his best to keep her calm. And that was when he heard it. It sounded like someone had shattered a large piece of glass on the other end of the line. He sat up quickly. "Calleigh?" No answer. "Calleigh! Sweetheart, you need to answer me."

He waited just a fraction of a moment longer before grabbing his daughter up in one arm, his keys and phone in that hand and his bedside gun in the other and rushing to his car. "Daddy?" The small girl picked her head up off her father's shoulder to look at him. The rain falling on her had woken her. "Ride?"

He smiled at his daughter. "Just around the corner, Honey. We're going to check on Daddy's friend," he told her has he buckled her in as quickly as he could without hurting or startling the girl. As soon as she was safely settled in, he climbed in the driver's seat and pulled out of the driveway. The rain was coming down so hard he could barely see, and the farther he went, the louder the thunder seemed to get.

Taylor whimpered from the back seat. "Daddy!"

He looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Remember what I told you?" He watched her nod. "Just loud noises, they can't hurt you. Right?"

The child looked out the window, terrified. "Yep..."

"Good girl." Horatio wasn't one to talk and drive with his daughter in the car, but he picked up his phone and redialed Calleigh's number. "C'mon, Cal, pick up."

Four rings later, he heard her voice. "Hey," she started. He sighed. "It's Calleigh, I can't get to my phone right now. Go ahead and leave a message, I'll get back to y'all as soon as I can manage." Horatio flipped his phone shut and cursed under his breath.

* * *

"Momma!" Both children had their arms wrapped around Calleigh. The shattering glass had startled them, waking them.

Calleigh was doing her best to calm and quiet them, phone still her her ear. "Do Momma a favor, babies, and crawl under the bed, okay? C'mon." She hurried the children off the bed. "Horatio?" she asked into the phone. "Please answer me, Horatio." She heaved a sigh and pulled the phone from her ear. The call had been dropped, and she had no signal. "Shit," she muttered.

Harvey looked up at his mother. "Momma, what's happenin'?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, buddy." Jordan started to cry, and Calleigh leaned down to kiss both of their foreheads. "Just do what I say and you'll be safe. Okay? I love you guys. A lot. I wouldn't let anything happen to you, you know that right?" she asked. They nodded. "Good," she said with a smile to comfort them. "Now, under the bed, and you gotta keep quiet."

As the kids crawled under the bed and did their best to stay quiet, Calleigh grabbed her phone and the gun she had in her pillowcase. She tucked the phone in the waist band of her pajama pants, and her weapon was at the ready as she closed her bedroom door behind her as she stepped into the hallway, clearing rooms one by one. It took her a short time to strategically clear her way to the living room. Nothing had been touched. Slowly inching into the kitchen through the open archway, the kitchen was a different story. It was an odd placement for the, but it was at the front of the house, with a window overlooking the front and side yards. The window had been broken, the curtains blowing violently in the wind and rain was pouring in. She could feel the glass piercing her bare feet. Resting in front of her fridge was a short but thick branch from the old oak in her yard. Her sigh was muffled by the whistling of the wind through the window, and her partially wet hair was blowing/ The wet parts stuck to her and the dry pieces whipped her face. She lowered her gun, and leaned against the counter for a moment, looking around.

* * *

Horatio turned off his headlights before turning into the driveway of Calleigh's house, as not to startle any one who might not want to be found inside. "I'll be right back, Honey." He shifted the car into park and left it idling, grabbing a key from the console before stepping up to the front door. His key slipped right in the lock, as he knew it would. He twisted it as slowly and as quietly as he could, pushing the door open the same way, only to be greeted by a gun in his face. He raised his hands. "Just me, Sweetheart."

The thunder cracked. "Horatio..." Calleigh, soaking wet, once again lowered her gun and wrapped her arms around the man, resting her head against him. He was warm, and she felt him kiss her head. "Wait."

"Hmm?" He looked down at her.

She picked her head up from his chest and met his gaze. "Where's Taylor?" He smiled. She was the one who had been in potential danger and all she asked about was where his daughter was. "Why are you smiling?" she asked.

"No reason," he told her. "She's in the car."

"Bring her in, it's not safe out there."

Horatio couldn't help but chuckle, though he nodded. "Alright." He stepped back out into the rain and turned his car off, freeing Taylor from her car seat. Once inside, he made his way towards the bedrooms. A cold chill had made its way through out the house. "Calleigh?" He peeked into the first room on his left. She was sitting there with her arms around both children. "What happened?"

Calleigh shook her head. "Glass broke, and the call got dropped. I couldn't call you back, I had no signal." Harvey was laying down with his head on her leg, and Jordan was in her lap, leaning her back against her mother. She looked up from her son, who was drifting back to sleep. "Turns out, it was only a branch that went through the window. Does she need dry clothes?"

"No," he said. "I think you should stay with me tonight, Calleigh."

"Absolutely not," she protested. "I can't run every time somethin' startles me. That's not what I wanna teach my kids." She patted Jordan's leg. "Hop up, Baby Doll." The girl crawled out of Calleigh's lap.

"Where are you going?"

"To get some extra blankets and Taylor somethin' of Jordan's to wear. I could try to find you something, but..."

"Blankets for me will be just fine," Horatio nodded, and moved out of her way by going over to the bed. Taylor clung to him. He kissed ehr temple and took a seat on the bed, turning his attention to Jordan. "You okay, Honey?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "We heared a big crash. Momma said it was the tree outside."

"Is that so?" He watched her nod again. "What did you do when you heard the crash?"

"Hided under Momma's bed with Harvey, juss like Momma said to."

"Good job," he smiled at her.

Calleigh returned with an armful of blankets and a little girl's outfit. "This doesn't fit Jo anymore, but it might still be a little too big for Taylor."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Horatio assured her, looking down to his daughter. "What do you say, Red? Wanna put on a clean outfit so you're not so cold?" The girl nodded sleepily against him. "Alright." Calleigh handed him the one piece for her, and he began getting her redressed.

"Harvey," she said, combing her fingers through his hair. "Hey, son."

He looked up at her sleepily. "I was asleep, Momma."

"I know, buddy, but I need you to scoot under the covers for me."

He nodded, did as he was told and as soon as his head hit the pillow again, he was out. "You too, Jo. Next to Bubby." Jordan tried to give her mother the puppy dog eyes pouty lip. "Jordanna, please, not tonight." The small girl let out an unhappy sound as she followed her mother's instructions, sliding under the brown comforter. Calleigh put another blanket over them.

Horatio slipped Taylor under the covers next to Jordan and moved to Calleigh's side, resting a hand on her back. "You're soaked, Sweetheart." She didn't move. "Calleigh? You're shivering." She merely nodded, her eyes not leaving the children.

"I know, I know." She accepted the change of clothes that he'd pulled out for her. "Here, lemme see Taylor's pjs. I'll throw 'em in the dryer real quick."

"You have to go through the kitchen to do that, Calleigh. Don't worry about it."

"I don't want 'em to get moldy."

"I'll hang them to dry in the bathroom. You get changed." He kissed her cheek on the way out, shutting the door behind him. It was only a fraction of a minute when the door reopened. He turned to see Calleigh, all changed, holding her wet clothes. He took them from her and she leaned against the door frame.

"Just lay 'em over the side of the tub," she said quietly, still shivering. He hung them as she asked and motioned her towards him. She stepped all the way into into the bathroom, and slipped her arms around his middle, resting her head against his chest again. He wrapped his arms around her as well. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

She looked up at him, resting her chin against his chest now. "Thank you," she whispered.

He spoke just as quietly. "You're very welcome." She didn't look away, and neither did he. Instead, she placed a hand on the side of his face. He knew what she was thinking and didn't want her to do anything she would regret later. "Calleigh..." She shook her head, stood up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his once, then again. When they broke apart, they rested their heads together. Horatio brought his hand up, to tuck a piece of wet hair behind her ear. Her eyes had been closed, but when she opened them and saw his open hand that close to her face, she flinched, turned her head and leaned back a little. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry," she said, pulling away completely and leaning against the door frame again. "I...temporary lapse of judgment." She looked down, fiddling and picking at her fingernails.

"You don't have to apologize," he told her. He tilted his head and placed the palms of his hands on his hips. "Were you afraid I was going to hit you?"

She scraped the undersides of her nails, cleaning them, but she didn't answer.

"Hey." He stepped over to her and put a finger under her chin, and gently raised her face so he could see it in the moonlight leaking through the window. "I'm not going to hurt you. Okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I know...I said I was sorry."

"And I said you don't have to apologize." He enveloped her in another hug. "You don't ever have to apologize. You and the kids are safe, and I intend on keeping you that way." He kissed her cheek before kissing her lips a few times more, these deeper than the last. When both broke for a breath, she licked her lips. "I love you. And I promise you that you'll be safe here." She nodded, and he wrapped an arm around her waist as they went back into the bedroom.

She looked at the children and smiled, and made a mental note to remember this moment when they were rebellious teenagers with raging hormones. "Look at them," she whispered as her smile grew. All three were huddled together under the blankets. "I hate to do it, but...will you help me move 'em?"

Horatio nodded. "Of course. Who do you want me to take?"

"If you'll put the girls in Jo's bed, please, that'd be great."  
He nodded, scooped up the two small girls with ease, stepping carefully over the toys on the floor to the bed and gently laid one girl down at a time, covering them up. Calleigh followed closely behind with Harvey, doing the same. Taking the moment in for just a little longer, Horatio took Calleigh by the hand.

"When did we get old enough to have kids?" she whispered to him.

He smiled. "I can't recall an exact moment," he replied. "Come on," he said, leading her out the door and into the hallway. "You need sleep. It's nearly three thirty."

She took a deep breath, nodding knowing he was right. "Alright. You talked me into it." She led him into her bedroom and watched as he grabbed a few of the blankets she'd brought in earlier. "Do you think..." she let her voice trail off, and Horatio looked at her as he stepped up to the opposite side of the bed to grab a pillow. "Could you stay in here with me tonight?"

He licked his lips and cocked his head. "Are you sure?" He watched her pause before nodding. "Sweetheart, if you aren't comfortable, then - "

"No, please. I want you to stay in here with me," she held a hand out to him, and he took it. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I don't wanna be alone tonight. I need you to stay with me."

He felt her squeeze, and looked into her eyes. The green in then seemed infinite, and he could also see that she was pretty much admitting that she needed help. Not something he'd ever known her to do very often. He nodded and pulled back the covers and climbed in next to her, reaching an arm around her. She nestled herself against him, grateful for his warmth. Her hair was still wet and although she had almost completely stopped shivering, she was still cold. "Hey," she said, tracing a line down the front of his t-shirt, looking up at him. "I love you too." He smiled at her, and nodded. She knew he knew that, it wasn't something she had to verbalize, but she did anyway. It wasn't long before she'd fallen asleep against him.

* * *

When Calleigh woke, it was twenty after six. She sighed. Twenty after six? She was going to be late! There was no way she'd get the kids up, ready and out the door in ten minutes. How did she not hear her alarm go off? She flew out of bed, grabbing clothes on the way out of her room and opened the door to Jordan and Harvey's room. "Hey, guys, time - " Calleigh blinked. The beds were empty. Her stomach dropped, and she spun to race down the hallway. "Harvey? Jordan?" Her heart was racing. A childish squeal came from somewhere in the house, and her head snapped in that direction. "Jordan?"

She watched as a small redhead rushed in the room from the kitchen, being chased by a slightly bigger blond. And then a six foot tall redhead emerged after that, not far behind them. "Hey! Come back here," he called after the girls with a smile. Calleigh let out a sigh of relief. She forgot he'd stayed the night. Were they coming out of the kitchen? The kitchen was a mess. Horatio looked up at her and smiled wider, stopping his chase of their kids. "Good morning, Beautiful." She blushed and looked away as he pulled her over to him by the hand and hugged her. "Sleep well?"

"Mornin'," she replied as she tried not to smile. "Why were they in the kitchen? It's a mess," she said, not ignoring his question on purpose as she watched the girls running around and laughing. All the kids were all dressed.

"I cleaned it up before I woke them," he said, kissing her temple. "I hope those outfits are alright. Harvey wanted to wear his Ironman shirt and Jordan wanted to wear all purple."

"That's fine," she nodded. "Anything that they agree to that matches, is clean, and doesn't cause a fight is fine." She looked up at him, watching him watch the kids. "Thanks for getting the kids ready," she said, noticing one more detail about the girls. "And you even did the girls' hair?" Horatio couldn't help but laugh. She smiled wide but tried not to laugh herself. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"I'm not," he said, shaking his head. "I promise."

"Sure you're not," she joked.

"Why does that surprise you?"

"It's not everyday you see a father doin' his little girl's hair, that's all," she shrugged. "Most guys have no idea what to do with a can of mousse, let alone a hair tie and a small child."

Horatio shrugged. "I've braved my fair share of tasks usually tackled by mothers," he told her. "Though I have to admit, I'm not looking forward to puberty." Calleigh chuckled. "Oh, now look who's laughing at who, hmm?"

She started to reply, but instead was almost knocked over by one of the kids. She looked down to see Taylor looking up at her, wide-eyed and laughing. "Oh is that so, Missy?" Taylor nodded, giggling more. Calleigh leaned over, picked up the girl, holding her upside down by her middle and tickled her. "It's too early for you to be this happy! What's your daddy been givin' you, pure sugar for breakfast?"

"Noooo!" the girl exclaimed, belly laughing harder than you'd think a two year old could. Horatio chuckled with her. His child laughing was always a good thing, and her being this comfortable with Calleigh after just a few months was even better.

"You want me to put you down?" Cal asked, continuing to tickle the toddler. Taylor only shrieked with more giggles. Calleigh laughed, flipping the girl right-side up and setting her feet back on the floor. She ran off with Jordan. "Where's Harvey?"

"In the bathroom, I think." When he saw the look on Calleigh's face, he smirked. "He wanted to look handsome for you when you got up."

Calleigh's expression fell. Children left to their own devices in a room full of different hair products and a messed up idea of 'handsome' could be potentially dangerous. "What do you mean?" Horatio shrugged. "Harvey?"

Harvey popped out of the bathroom with a hammy grin on his face, arms spread in the air. "Ta da!" Calleigh's mouth fell open and Horatio tried not to laugh.

"Harvey." She shook her head with a chuckle. "How much hair gel did you use?"

"I had to make it so it wasn't dry an' sticky."

"What do you say we take a little of it out, alright son?" Harvey nodded. "Okay." Horatio turned to Calleigh. "I'll take care of him. Will you see if you can get the girls to finish eating?"

"I can try," she offered. "But I can't promise."

He placed an arm around her waist and pulled her close, giving her a quick kiss. "That's all I can ask." He smirked as she grew bright pink in the face, giving him that one last glance before she turned to try and finish feeding their daughters. "Alright, let's see what we can do here, son. Do we have a hand towel?"

Harvey nodded, diving into the cabinet under the bathroom sink, pulling out what Horatio asked for.

"Go ahead and wet it in the sink, and wring it out really good."

Harvey did as instructed, and did his best wringing it out. "Is that good enough?" he asked, offering up the towel to the man.

"That'll be fine, yeah." He stepped behind the boy and placed the damp towel over his head, rubbing his head down with it.

Harvey tried his best to keep still. "What's this supposed to do?"

"It'll take off some of the gel, but not all of it. Then we'll re-style it and blow dry it on low."

"Are you a hair dresser?"

Horatio chuckled. "No, I have a nephew. I used to watch his mother do this to him all the time."

"Oh," the boy said simply. "Are you gonna marry Momma?"

That question caught Horatio off guard. "Why would you ask that?"

Harvey shrugged. "Cos you kissed her. And she likes you a whole lot."

Horatio's brows raise and he sighed. "I don't know, Harvey," he replied honestly. "Let's just get you ready for school, alright?"

"Kay," the boy said. The conversation between the two had come to a stop, as Horatio turned the blow dryer on low and hardened the gel in Harvey's hair to form a little mohawk. Calleigh rounded the corner as they were finishing up, holding the girls' hands.

"Wow." She was completely amazed. Not only did he do a decent job with the girls' hair, he did a pretty good job on Harvey's as well. "Are you sure there's nothin' you wanna tell me?" she joshed. "What do you say, handsome boy?"

Harvey tilted his head all the way back to look up at Horatio. "Thank you H!"

Horatio smiled down at the boy. "You're very welcome."

"Now go hurry and eat, Harvey, or you'll go hungry 'til lunch," Calleigh told her son. "Have a pack of PopTarts or somethin'. Skedaddle!" Horatio stepped a little closer to her and watched the boy rush off. She reached behind her and found his hand intertwined her fingers with his. "I need to get ready. I'm gonna be late as it is and my boss isn't gonna like that..."

"I'm giving you the day off," he replied.

"Horatio, I have to get those tests done. Those slugs aren't gonna run themselves through the system."

He nodded. "I know they aren't." He cleared his throat. "That's why I have Perez on the tests." Their hands separated and he watched as she spun around, expecting her to have fire in her eyes. He knew that Calleigh was territorial over the ballistics lab, she thought of it as hers. But Perez had been in the lab for eight years and she practically lived in it. But no, he didn't see fire in the woman's eyes. What Horatio didn't expect to see in Calleigh's eyes was hurt, but it was there. She probably thought that he was trying to say she wasn't ready to go back to work full time, and that wasn't the case. He felt horrible. "You only slept a couple hours this morning, Sweetheart," he justified. "You need rest."

She blinked. "No, Horatio. I don't. I need to work. I need to get things back to normal. The kids need to get back their normal schedule, and so do I."

Normal? She still hadn't told him how things in her house had been even remotely close to anything considered 'normal' in society's standards. "And how might normal be?"

Calleigh had to think about that.

* * *

"Get up." He pulled the covers off of her. Her eyes opened slowly, only half realizing what was going on. She'd only been asleep for about an hour, having been in the bathroom all night, trying not to make a noise as the worst pain she'd ever felt had run through her body. It was still dark out. It couldn't have been later than five thirty am. "You think I'm kiddin', Blondie?"

"No," she shook her head as she propped herself up a little. "What's goin' on?"

"What's goin' on is you're gettin' up and goin' to work. Can't have you gettin' fired cos you're out sick so damn much."

Calleigh blinked. He couldn't be serious. "Honey...I'm not sure goin' to work is a good idea." She winced as she sat up. "I can barely move. There's no way they won't notice. Marshall will end up sendin' me to the ER."

The burly man crossed his arms. "Shoulda thought about that before I got home last night."

Episodes like 'last night' happened about two times a week.

Her chest fell. She had to go to work. It was probably a good idea that she go to the emergency room, but she'd already been four times this year and it was only April. Not that he knew she'd gone that many times, and there was a chance he wouldn't find out if she went again, but...why push her luck? He'd kill her if she went and he found out about it. "Alright. I'll get ready for work."

"Good. Make sure they don't send you nowhere." He started towards the bedroom door. "And put some make-up on that face of yours, you look like shit."

She watched as Ben closed the door behind him. The nastiest feeling set in her stomach as she set her feet on the ground. It was hard to move, but she made it to the mirror on the dresser, and she lifted up her night shirt to expose her ribs. The left side of her torso was purple, green and blue. There was no way, absolutely no way she'd make it through a shift without someone realizing.

After getting dressed, of course taking longer than usual, she covered the faded bruise on her cheek and downplayed the appearance of the gash at her hairline. And when she was made up, it was hard to tell anything was off kilter. Unless, of course, she tried to walk, move or breathe. But until she was out of the house, she had to suck it up. The kids were ready to go not long after. Jordanna was put into the safety of Calleigh's brother, and Harvey was in the care of the local elementary school.

Work was a challenge, not because of her cases but instead, for the umpteenth time, because of her injuries. She had managed to isolate herself for most of the day. When she wasn't alone, Calleigh tried her best to control her expressions and breathing, keep her tone as even as she could. But even still, someone was watching when she thought no one was, and called her out on it. She ended up leaving early, having talked them out of sending her to the hospital. She spent the remainder of the day at her brother's house, laying down with Jordan and taking a nap. Kenny never asked why she came over randomly some days before Harvey's school let out, and he never suspected anything. That happened a few times a month, her getting sent home early. No, he never asked and she never offered the information. And when they got home, Ben was pissed about something. What it was, she didn't know. He didn't tell her. But instead of taking out on her, it was the childrens' turn.

He'd lit the cigarettes and after every couple drags, he'd touch one to the kids. That pissed Calleigh off. As far as she was concerned, she'd let him beat her within an inch of her life every week if it meant him never harming the kids. But that would never happen. By slapping him as hard as she could across the face when he didn't expect it, she let him know how she felt about burning the kids with his lit cancer stick. The kids were sent to bed, barely after dinner, and Calleigh paid for her outburst later in the bedroom that night.

* * *

All of that had been normal for them.

She flinched, feeling the phantom pain in her ribs from the memory. That particular injury to her torso was a tragic one. The whole of that night she'd gotten it was spent in the bathroom after Ben had gone to sleep, muffling cries of pain, because it felt like she'd been hit by an eighteen wheeler, backed over and hit again. At that point in time, Calleigh had been almost four months pregnant. The attack had caused her to lose the baby. Ben didn't know. If he had, he probably would have done it sooner. She hated him for that. He took that from her, and he didn't even know it. He never would, and that hurt her even more. She felt a twinge of pain in her heart for the child that was taken from her.

"Okay, so we need a new sense of normal," Calleigh admitted. "But that does not mean I want days off of work because you say so to be normal."

Horatio nodded. "Fair enough." He was just happy she admitted it, and wasn't downplaying her former situation with him anymore. "It won't be a normal thing. Just a today thing, alright?"

She didn't want that other woman in her lab and she knew that he knew that, but she also knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer with this. Calleigh sighed. "Alright, yeah." She pointed up at him in mock seriousness. "But I'm still taking the kids to school."

"Fair enough," he laughed. He took her hand again and patted the back of it.

After the kids were dropped off, the next few hours Calleigh had to do whatever she wanted. And the only thing she wanted to do was sleep. As soon as she walked in the door, she looked at the clock. Nine. Then she took a good long look at the couch. It was a comfortable couch, but did she really want to sleep on it? Then again, if she got in bed, she'd sleep all day, clear through to dinner. At least on the couch she usually woke up every so often to check the time. She grabbed a pillow and one of the blankets she brought in her room early that morning and brought them out to the living room.

Her eyes opened and wandered to the clock on the cable box. Was it already quarter to two? She didn't even remember closing her eyes, let alone laying down on the couch. "Geeze," she mumbled. Her phone chimed. She let her head fall back against the pillow, let her eyes close and let a yawn escape. Calleigh wasn't ready to get up yet. The dreams she had were strange, they made no sense, but she couldn't keep her mind off of them. Her phone chimed again. She took a deep breath, felt around on the coffee table for her phone and hit the 'answer' button, eyes still closed. "Yeah, Duquesne."

"We need to talk."


	16. the talk

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSI:M DVDs, and ADD: oh, the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

The Talk was not exactly the one Calleigh had in mind. She wasn't quite sure what she thought it'd be, but it definitely wasn't what it had been. Horatio had originally called just to make sure they'd see each other that evening. Which she told him that they would, of course.

The Talk was about a simple question that Harvey had posed that had spent the day 'festering' in the back of Horatio's mind. He'd asked Horatio if he and Calleigh were going to get married. That, of course, completely blew her mind. It had been three months since Ben died, and Calleigh hadn't even realized that she and Horatio had been that open in front of the kids until that morning, when he'd pulled her in for a small peck in front of her son. Kids pick up on more than you'd think, I guess. This, she knew, meant it was time to talk about where they stood, what their relationship was and where they (or she) felt comfortable taking it. How invested they wanted to get, because they both had young children and knew they'd be dragged into this as well.

And that's exactly what they did.

Actually, that's exactly how they ended up where they were now. Twenty four hours later, they'd both gotten off work a little late, and put their children in the safe company of Eric Delko. Calleigh had been worried about what she'd read in Ben's tox screen report, and had been itching to get herself tested for anything that could have been given to her. She didn't trust him not to have used dirty syringes. She'd wanted to have Natalia come with her, but her friend was whisked away by a previous engagement. Not that she wasn't equally grateful for Horatio's company, but...she'd really wanted the support of a female friend. Nonetheless, there they were. Sitting in an clinic downtown, waiting to have Calleigh's blood drawn. A fairly simple procedure in itself, but the results would be life changing, no matter what they were. "What if it's positive for something?"

It had to be the twelfth time she'd asked him that question in the last twenty four hours. And just like the eleven times before, he didn't really have a solid answer. "Then we'll deal with it. Together," he reassured her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "They have medications and treatments. We'll do what we have to."

"I'll have to get my kids tested. Who knows when he got whatever he had."

"Assuming he ever had anything in the first place, Sweetheart."

"If he gave something to me, I could've given it to them. What if they got it from me?"

She was getting ahead of herself and didn't even seem to hear what he just said.

"Calleigh." She looked at him. "If they have it, and I doubt they do, it isn't your fault. There's nothing you could've done to prevent it. You couldn't have known and you can't blame yourself." For the first time in the past week or so, he wished that he hadn't killed Ben Jones. He wasn't particularly the violent type, but Horatio wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out the man for the hell he was putting Calleigh through right now. She was one of the most genuine people he knew, she'd give you her last dime if she knew you needed it as much as or more than she did. She definitely didn't deserve this. "If they have it, it's not your fault. Its a result of his own recklessness." She nodded, taking a deep breath. He was right, but that still didn't keep her from feeling responsible. He saw her eyes flick around the room, taking in the strangers around her. Some were looking at them, some weren't. She was visibly thinking. He leaned closer and spoke quietly. "You told me yesterday to tell you when you're being paranoid?"

"Yeah?"

"You're being paranoid." She looked at him questioningly. "They're not judging you."

She tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowed a little. "I never said they were."

"No," Horatio shook his head, "but you were thinking it."

She looked down. He had her there. She had been thinking that every single one of these patrons in the clinic was looking at her, like they knew why she was here and laughing at her. "I know, but...I can't help but feel like they are." But he was right. They weren't. They didn't even know why she was here, just like she didn't know why they were here, either. She reached over and grabbed his hand. He smiled and gave her hand a slight squeeze. Moments later, a man stepped out of the door leading to the hallway of consultation rooms. A hispanic nurse dressed in Scooby Doo scrubs stepped out behind him, holding a clipboard. "Calleigh...er...Du..."

"Duquesne," Calleigh said, rising to her feet. She looked back at Horatio, not letting go of his hand. He took that as his cue to stand as well.

"If you follow me." The couple obeyed the command, and as soon as the door closed, the nurse looked over her shoulder. "You'll be in room three." She smiled at Calleigh. "You look nervous. Don't be. We take good care of you, okay?"

Calleigh couldn't help but smile back at the woman's kind words, even if they were in broken English. "Thanks." She opened the door to room three, and motioned for them to enter before closing the door behind them and going off about her duties. Calleigh looked at the man beside her, watching him survey the room. She knew his eyes were taking in every detail, as if they'd be quizzed on it tomorrow. She looked at his face. He looked so tired. So tired, and for the most part, it was her fault. He didn't get much sleep as it was, being a single father of a two year old. That amount diminished considerably since he'd been constantly taking care of her and the kids, checking to make sure she wasn't thrashing about in her sleep or overreacting to the sound of a pin drop across town. Her eyes were drawn down to his hands. He was trying not to fidget, and she could tell. What had she done to him? To anyone else, he seemed like a calm and collected person. She knew differently, because Calleigh knew how to read him, and she'd singlehandedly turned him into a nervous wreck. And she couldn't help but hate herself for it.

Before she knew it, her blood was pouring out into a vial. She blinked. When had the doctor come in? When did he stick the needle in? She hadn't even felt the prick of the sharp implement piercing her skin. In another few seconds, the vial was filled and another with a different colored cap was attached to her.

"Calleigh?" The woman's head snapped to look in the direction of the voice. "Are you alright?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah, why?"

"Dr. Lopez has been asking you questions," Horatio replied.

Calleigh looked up at the man who was disconnecting the second vial. "I'm sorry," she frowned. "I guess I just didn't hear you."

The man, short and stocky with dark eyes and grey hair, smiled. "It's quite alright, Miss. Are you feeling light headed at all? We have cookies and coke if you'd like..."

She met the man's offerings with a polite smile and shook her head. "No thanks, I'm just fine. Are you done?" The doctor nodded. "Wow, that didn't take long. Do you think it's possible that you could send my results to the Miami-Dade crime lab instead of calling?"

It was an unusual request, but not one that couldn't be met. Dr. Lopez nodded. "Sure thing, Miss Duquesne."

"And I need to have my kids brought in for the same thing...can I just bring them in our should I set an appointment?" Her voice was a bit hushed as she asked. "I don't think it'll take long, they're behaved and there's only two of them."

"We usually don't take too many appointments, being a walk-in clinic. If you bring them by on Thursday, we can probably get them in quick."

She gave the man a small, polite smile. "Thank you."

"Any time, alright? I'll see you later this week." He shook her hand, and Horatio's next, before sending them on their way and having his nurse call his next patient.

Horatio looked over at her. "You look a little pale, Calleigh. You're sure you don't want a soda or something?" She shook her head, giving him a small smile. He had to ask himself if she was just trying to prove that she could handle this, or if she really didn't need it. Unfortunately, he couldn't answer that. "Well, I could use a little lunch and I'd appreciate your company. Mind if we stop at Publix and get subs from the deli?"

"No, I don't mind at all." She wasn't feeling dizzy or lightheaded, or ready to pass out. But the truth was, she was a little hungry, and subs from the grocery store sounded really good. "What're you gonna get? I'm thinking a hot-pressed Cuban sounds good."

"Oh, now see I thought you were feeling 'just fine." A passerby might think that the comment was said in a snide tone, but to Calleigh, there was no mistaking that for anything but a playful remark. "And now here you are thinking of ditching me for a Cuban guy, hmm?" Calleigh's smile widened and she allowed herself to be pulled closer by the man, feeling his lips against her cheek. "I'm thinking an Italian for me."

They reached the car. "So you're not into blonds anymore?"

He laughed and opened the car door for her. "No, just you."

She met his reply with a smirk. "Mhmm." She climbed in the car. "Thanks, Handsome." She'd gotten used to him opening doors for her, pulling out chairs for her. When she first met him, she argued with him about it. It wasn't something she was used to in Louisiana, and back then she hated having a fuss being made over her. Now, even after the years they hadn't been in contact, she knew that telling him not to do it was pointless. He'd do it anyway, just as he does for Natalia and Alexx and any other female he happened to be in the company of. Nobody could ever say that Horatio wasn't a fan of chivalry.

Subs from the Publix supermarket deli were bought and eaten, the children were picked up and the sun had been down for about an hour. Calleigh was in the midst of TRYING to give the girls a bath...but it wasn't really working out too well. She hadn't even gotten them in the same room, much less in the bathtub. "Jordan!" She grabbed at her daughter, but the tiny girl was agile for only three years old. "Jordanna Christine..."

"Sweetheart, are you sure you don't want me to help?" Horatio poked his head in the kids' bedroom at Calleigh's place. She was just catching a hold of Jordan to pick her up and carry her under her arm. The girl squealed with giggles.

Calleigh shook her head. "No, I told you, go lay down and rest. I've got the kids, really." He'd been up for long enough. With the exception of a few hours sleep here and there, he'd probably been up with her for four or five days straight. And just as soon as she'd said that she had the kids, Horatio had managed to scoop up Taylor. "Well. We've got the kids." She held her free arm out while holding Jordan tighter with her other arm, the girl was trying to squirm out of her grip.

"I'll get her into the bathroom for you." He let Calleigh through the door first, with the wiggling Jordan almost out of her mother's grasp, and followed with Taylor. "Don't splash around girls, alright?" He looked from Jordan and Taylor to Calleigh. "I'm gonna go see that Harvey isn't watching Family Guy again."

Calleigh nodded, making sure that the door was completely shut behind him, preparing her bathtime game plan. She'd learned a few tricks to make getting ready for bathtime a little more fun - racing - with some bribery thrown in. "Okay, chickies. You know the game. Let's race and see who can get naked-butt the fastest! Who ever wins gets two quarters!"

Horatio sat down on the couch next to Harvey, watching him as he laughed at Spongebob and Patrick on tv. "You do your homework, son?" The boy nodded. "May I see?"

The boy got up and grabbed his Ironman back pack by the front door, and pulled out his class folder, handing it to Horatio. A vocabulary assignment, completely filled out. "Why do you wanna see my homework?" Harvey asked.

"Just to double check it. Help your mom out a little," he replied with a smile. "Looks good, son." The closed folder was given back to the boy and slipped back into the back pack. He seemed to be doing well in school, and from what Calleigh had told him, he didn't do this well back in Louisiana. "Do you like it in Miami?" The boy shrugged. "Not really?"

Harvey shrugged again. "As long as I get to stay with Momma and Jordan, I don't really care if we live in the desert riding camels and eating bugs."

Horatio had to laugh. "I think Miami is a little better than the desert, don't you?"

"Sure."

The bathroom door clicked open, and the sound of the running sink water could be heard. "Sounds like it's time to brush your teeth, kiddo." Harvey nodded, and ran off to the bathroom. Within minutes, Horatio heard Calleigh telling the kids to stop pushing.

"Stop. Harvey, stop, you're gonna knock your sisters off the stool!" No sooner than she had said it, there was a smack against the ground. The woman sighed, and gave Harvey a look. Jordan was screaming and getting to her feet, holding her arm. "Jo, come here."

"No!" Jordan hollered, before she took a swat at her brother and ran off to the living room, crying and yelling something that Cal couldn't understand all the way. She ran into Horatio's legs in the living room as he was getting up to help.

Harvey looked up at his mother. "Mom, she hit me!"

"Well then Harvey, you shouldn't have pushed her, I don't know what else to tell you."

Horatio scooped Jordan up, rubbing her arm and calming her down. "There, you're fine. You're alright." Carrying her back to the bathroom, he looked at Calleigh. The woman reached out to take her from him, but Jordan grunted and leaned against Horatio. "She's fine, I have her."

"Harvey, rinse your toothbrush and go get in bed, please." Calleigh lifted Taylor up so she could run her brush under the water. Harvey stomped off to the bedroom, and she looked at the man. "If it would've been Taylor..." Her voice trailed off, and she hiked the toddler up on her hip. "You ready for bed, Tink?" Taylor nodded, resting her head on Calleigh's shoulder. "Yeah, you're tired. Let's go get you tucked in." The couple tucked the girls in Jordan's bed, and did the same to Harvey in his bed. "Sweet dreams," she said, as they left the room, turning off the light and leaving the door cracked.

"Calleigh," Horatio said as she made her way into the master bedroom and over to the dresser.

She didn't look up at him as she opened her top drawer and pulled out a pair of pj pants. "Yeah?"

"When Jordan came running out..." He took a breath, not exactly sure about how to go about saying this the right way. "She called me 'Daddy.'"

That got her attention. Calleigh turned around. "She what?"

"At first, I thought she was calling for Ben and just didn't understand that Ben isn't coming back, but then she wouldn't let you take her from me." All Calleigh could do was blink. "Are you alright?"

She took a deep breath and licked her lips. "Yeah, yeah," she nodded. "I just...that came out of the blue."

"Yes, it did," Horatio agreed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think this was gonna be an issue with them this soon."

"It doesn't bother me, Calleigh, there's no need to apologize." She nodded. "But I did hear you say that Harvey was going to 'knock his sisters off the stool.'"

Calleigh looked confused as she tried to recall her statement from just moments ago. "I said that?" She frowned. "I guess I did. I didn't even realize it."

"I know. But this is all coming at us very fast. And I want to make sure that you're okay with 'us' before we decide on what to do."

She looked up at him. Did he think she was gonna flake out on their relationship at the last minute? "Horatio...I want this. I don't know what to do to make you think I'm serious."

"I know you're serious. I just don't want everything to happen as fast as this did." He placed his hands on his hips, palms down, tilting his head. "I'm not concerned with you being serious. I know you are. What I want to know is if you're okay with it getting this serious this fast."

"Maybe it'd be better then, if starting tomorrow, we keep apart for a while." She saw his expression fall as he nodded. "Just until we get the results of my tests back." She moved towards him and snaked her arms around his middle, his hands still on his hips. "I want this, Handsome. I do. But I need to know if I'm putting you or the kids at risk for anything."

He looked down at her. "I understand that."

"Then don't look so disappointed," she told him, lightly running her fingernails up and down his back. "We'll be okay."

* * *

The goodbye between him and her seemed to feel like it was supposed to last them another ten years. He hated not being around to make sure she was alright, but he had no intentions of disrespecting her wishes. He checked in on her at work, to see how she was dealing with having to share 'her' ballistics lab (both she and Perez claimed it as their own), but off-duty hours there was minimal contact. A tall, darker skinned man walked up next to him. "Hey H, you got the results for that trace I put in?"

He was helping out in the trace lab since their regular had just completed his last two weeks and they'd not found a replacement yet. "Matter of fact, Mr. Delko, I do." Grabbing a file off the table, he handed it to his friend. "Calleigh or Rio should have your ballistics results, I'm not sure who has your case."

He didn't? This surprised him. "I thought you and Calleigh were, uh..." Eric raised his eyebrows and smiled a little. "Guess not, then."

"Complications with the kids, is all. Oh, I've been meaning to ask you," the red-haired man looked up at him expectantly. "How's Rio doing?"

All Eric could do was laugh. How did he know about that? "Touche, Boss. Touche." Horatio laughed. Eric tapped the folder on the table. "I'll catch up with you later. Thanks H!" He spun and made his was to ballistics. Two blonds stood in the room, and the tension could only be cut with a machete. "Ladies," he said, grabbing their attention.

"Oh," Calleigh smiled. "Hey Eric."

Her voice was cheery. Too damn cheery, if you asked Rio Perez. The shorter blond shot her a glare. "Delko!" she exclaimed, just as cheery as she looked from the blond to her undercover boyfriend. "What brings you by?"

He saw the look his girlfriend gave her labmate, and sighed inwardly. "I, uh, came by for my ballistics results."

Rio looked genuinely confused. Calleigh perked up. "Oh! I have those." Eric watched as Calleigh spun to grab whatever folder they were in, and took note of how organized her side of the lab was. Rio's was organized, but her side was in a state of chaotic organization. The placement of things on her side didn't make sense to anyone but her, and he'd learned not to question it. "Here ya go."

"Thanks, Cal," he smiled. "I'm gonna take a lunch."

"You mean you're not gonna look at 'em now? And to think, I slaved over those for you," Calleigh teased.

Oh boy. He could see the animosity between the ladies growing, though Calleigh didn't realize it went farther than just the possession of the ballistics lab. "Relax," he said, though he wasn't sure what blond the comment was aimed toward. "I'm gonna look at them during lunch."

"I think I'll take lunch, too," Rio replied, glancing at Calleigh. "I could use some air." Calleigh watched as they made their way out of the lab, over to the elevator.

As soon as they were in the safety of the elevator, Rio turned to Eric. "What's the deal with her?" she asked. "Is there some sort of history between you two, or does she think that there's still something going on?"

Eric shook his head. "There's no 'history' between us," he told her. "And trust me, she doesn't think there's any chance of anything happening."

"Then why does she flirt with you? Is she some sort of office slut or something?"

"No - she's not the office slut. She just...flirts, it's harmless."

"She just flirts with everybody?" Eric nodded. "So she flirts with Ryan, Frank, Horatio and the all officers?"

He sighed. "Not all the officers, and she doesn't flirt with Frank."

The elevator doors opened, revealing the first floor of the building. The bee-lined for the front doors. "But Ryan and Horatio she does?"

"Sometimes. Like I said, it's harmless. That's her personality. She just comes off as overly friendly at times."

"More like just with you, but okay."

Rio was less than trusting with people. Eric knew that. And he was trying to be patient with her, but it didn't come easy when she was accusing his friend of trying to drive a wedge between them. He wished he could tell her that Calleigh was with Horatio, but the two had asked that he and Natalia keep that under wraps. "She's dating someone else, Rio." His arm snaked around Rio's waist and leaned in close as they walked. "Besides...she's not nearly as feisty as I like," he teased, kissing her cheek.

* * *

It was her day off. Calleigh closed the car door, stepping back to open the passenger door right behind her to unbuckle Jordan from her car seat. It had been nearly six days since she'd seen Horatio outside of work. "This is Momma's work, and when we get inside here, you have to be quiet. Use your whisper voices and stay with me. Okay?" Jordan nodded, unblinking. "You hear me, Harvey?" Calleigh hollered to the other side of the car, where her son was climbing out.

"Yes, Momma."

"Good." She set Jordan on the ground, taking each of her children by the hand and leading them up the stairs to the building. They headed straight for the elevator.

As soon as the doors opened, Calleigh headed straight for the information desk. Harvey followed. Jordan spotted a tall, red-haired man walking away down the hall, and her eyes lit up. "Daddy!" She broke free of Calleigh's hold on her hand, and took off running.

Calleigh's head snapped in her daughter's direction, eyes wide with mortification. "Jordan, no!" She took off after her daughter. Horatio spun around to see a small blond running his way with a smile. Catching her at the end of the hallway, he scooped her up. By the time Calleigh got there, Jordan was already already hugging his neck. "Horatio, I am so sorry!" She turned her attention to the small girl in his arms. "Didn't I tell you to use your whisper voice and stay by me?" She didn't wait for the girl to answer before turning back to Horatio and apologizing again. "I'm sorry. I really thought I addressed with her, I did. I'm sorry."

"Calleigh," he chuckled. "Stop apologizing. It's quite alright." He looked beyond her, down the hallway at Harvey still standing by the information desk. He waved him over. The boy came obligingly. "I doubt anyone in Broward or Monroe counties heard her," he smirked.

She tried her best not to smile (an honestly pointless effort), rolling her eyes and looking away, just as she always did. "Oh shut up," she laughed. A smile still covered his face.

"Hey, Cal," Natalia looked up from her papers. Calleigh waved. "You brought the kids in. Hi, guys!" She smiled and waved at the kids. "Oh, uh, H. I haven't seen him, but rumor has it that Stetler is wandering around."

Horatio nodded. "I'll take that into consideration. Thank you, Miss Boa Vista."

"Anytime. Come see me when you're free," she started down the hall. "See ya, Cal!"

"Bye, Nat," Calleigh called over her shoulder. "Well, if that's the word around the lab, can we talk? Preferably in your office?"

"Absolutely. Will you take her?" He offered the child he was holding to the woman. Walking through the halls holding his employee's child was odd to the others, but if Rick Stetler were to see it, they'd be one step closer to being under investigation. Calleigh nodded, taking Jordan, letting her down to the ground and keeping a tighter grip on her hand. He led them to a room where one wall was made up entirely of glass. Calleigh ushered the children inside and closed the door once they were all inside. "Is everything alright?"

"I hope so," she said. She didn't look at him, instead focusing on playing with her daughter's hair. "I got the test results back, Horatio."


	17. priority one

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSI:M DVDs, and ADD: oh, the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

The tall, dark haired man watched as the door closed behind the group that had entered through it. He'd seen the entire scene play out through the glass walls of the lab, and could not wait to bust these two for fraternization - something he'd wanted to do for some odd years. He'd just never had substantial proof. Until now, that was. His strides were long, but quick and graceful. His hand raised in a fist, and tapped rather harshly on the door.

* * *

Before Calleigh got the chance to inform Horatio of the results, there was an interruption. She grabbed the hands of her children and moved away from the door (as not to be seen), allowing Horatio access to it. He opened the door just the slightest, a brow raised expectantly at the man standing before him. "May I help you, Agent Stetler?"

Calleigh's eyes widened. 'Shit,' she thought. She let her head fall against the wall.

The noise did not go unnoticed by either man. "I'm hoping so, Lieutenant Caine." Rick held a smug grin on his face. He had them this time, and there was no slipping out of it for them. "I was wanting to talk to you about CSI Duquesne."

"Well, Mr. Stetler, I am in the middle of a meeting with Miss Duquesne right now." He raised his head, raising both brows and sticking his jaw out defiantly. One hand was on the door knob; the other was on his hip. "I'll find you when we're finished."

Rick feigned surprise and pointed to the door. "You mean she's in here now? Do you mind if I join you?"

Horatio could see Calleigh shaking her head in disbelief out of the corner of his eye. "I do mind. I mind that a lot, actually." He gave the man a polite smile. "I'll find you when we're finished, Rick." With that, Horatio closed the door.

He turned to Calleigh, who was seething. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just...I hate him. It's like he's out to get us or something. He's always been trying to get us in trouble," she whispered harshly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just relax. We'll figure out something later. Right now," He stepped forward, placing his hands just below her shoulders and leaning in to kiss her. She turned her head and his lips landed on her cheek. He looked a bit confused. "Right now, we need to focus on something a little more important. What are the results of your test?"

* * *

He fired his best CSI just over three months ago. She was a textbook klutz, having come up with every injury possible, and a complete mystery when it came to her personal life. To top it off, two months ago, the best lab tech he had left started her maternity leave. Marshall Roux was having a hell of a time with the replacements that had been hired for the females he used to employ, and he wasn't sure his new employees would last much longer. They had a new case, and didn't want the newbies anywhere near this one, out of fear of them botching it up. "Where's Dennison?" The man spun, looking for his intended target. He spotted the man walking up the steps to the building through a window. "Dennison!" Marshall hollered as soon as the man was in the door.

Benjamin Dennison, who preferred to be called Benji, snapped his head up to look at his boss. "Sir?"

"Get your gear and a partner, we've got a house call."

Benji's choice in partner was Ripley Washington. She was one of the newer employees, having only been with the New Orleans Crime Lab for about ten months. She was fresh out of college and young for someone so dedicated to her career - just twenty-two.

The scene was a known location where the Banditos, a gang whose reach spread across multiple countries, was known to occupy. By the time they made it to the scene, the cops had already interviewed the neighbor. "Johnny, fill me in," he said to one of the uniforms.

"Neighbor's Old Man Pittman." Benji and Ripley rolled their eyes. Old Man Pittman was famous for reporting conspiracy theories against him. "Says nobody's been here in a week. Offered up his surveillance tapes to prove it."

"He has a surveillance system?" Benji asked.

Ripley shrugged. "He's convinced that the Men In Black are coming to wipe his memory with their little flashy pen. He's paranoid, Benj. Should've guessed he'd have one." She looked back at the uniform. "How'd he know the body was there?"

"It's been above 80 degrees for a solid month, Washington. This dump doesn't have a working A/C unit. You do the math."

A sour expression crossed her face, and her eyes flicked toward the house's front door. "Oh, goodie."

"And one more thing - it's bodies, not body."

Benji started towards the door. "Hope you like the smell of decomp in the AM, Rip!" He chuckled as she groaned audibly.

The scene inside looked how it smelled - gruesome. Benji barely made a face. Ripley nearly gagged. "How are you not barfing?" He merely shrugged, listening to her feet patter back out the door, quickly followed by the sound of vomit hitting the dirt. He looked around. There were three bodies laying on the floor, brass casings sprinkled around them.

The heat had completely destroyed the bodies by speeding up decomposition; there would be no visual identification with these victims. Samples of their DNA could be collected at the morgue. The coroner entered behind them, wrapping the bodies and taking them out of the house.

Ripley picked up a pile of papers in her gloved hands, flipping through them and confused by the writing. A few names and addresses. "Hey, Benji...where's North Kendall Drive?" He stepped over to read over her shoulder.

"Not around here," he shook his head. "Says it's in Miami."

"As in Florida?"

"Do you know any other Miami?" She shook her head, and he stepped back over to what he was looking at before. "What's the rest of it say?"

"Um..." she glanced over it. "One - H. Caine. Two - E. Delko. Three - C. Duquesne," she read. "Sounds like a hit list to me."

He raised his brows, nodding in approval. "Nicely done, Washington. You've just redeemed yourself for tossing your breakfast all over our crime scene," he smiled.

Ripley rolled her eyes. She hadn't even been on the job for a year - she couldn't be expected to stomach the smells without batting an eye this early in her career. "The big tip off was the fact that there's details about every one of them. H. Caine is...wow. Horatio Caine is a lieutenant at the Miami police department. Widower, with one kid. E. Delko, is Eric Delko, CSI, Caine's employee. Seems kind of odd that they'd target police department employees." She read a bit further. C. Duquesne, or Calleigh Duquesne, also known as - holy shit!"

Benji looked up at his co-workers exclamation. "What's it say?"

"I think this is talking about Jones."

He shook his head, looking doubtful. "Jones is long gone. Nobody's heard from her or her husband in months."

She continued reading. "No, no I think it is. Calleigh Duquesne, also known as Calleigh Jones." Benji stepped over to look at the paper again. "Two children, CSI, Caine's employee. Boss BJ's girl. Priority one."

"...I think you might be right, Rip. Boss BJ is the Banditos's Louisiana section leader. Nobody's been able to give him a legal name since he popped up. You may have just made your career, kid." He handed her an evidence bag. "We need to show that to Marshall. These guys have a week's head start on us. Jones and her friends could already be in trouble."

* * *

She signed, thankful that she and Horatio hadn't gone much farther than the occasional kiss. "He had syphilis, which I'm choosing to believe is from a dirty needle. He gave me _syphilis_, Horatio. "

Now he understood why she'd turned her head as he went to kiss her a few moments ago. Horatio watched as the kids sat at his desk, drawing on the spare paper he'd given them. "That's curable, Sweetheart."

"But it can still - I'm getting the kids checked. You need to get checked. Get Taylor checked." He nodded. "Don't just nod, Horatio. Promise me. Promise that you'll do it for both of you."

He looked at her and smiled. "I promise you," he smiled, "that I will get both of us checked."

"Tomorrow."

As Horatio opened his mouth to reply, his phone rang. He held up a single finger as a silent 'hold on.' "Yeah, Caine."

"H, we have a problem." Ryan Wolfe walked through the halls of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab as if he were on a mission. "Ashley grabbed me when I came in, said I was the first she could find. A call came into the front desk from the New Orleans Crime Lab. Apparently whatever you, Delko and Calleigh were involved with made you a lot of enemies in Louisiana."

Horatio furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

Ryan came to the window that looked out over the front walk way and stopped, looking for anything that wasn't

supposed to be there. Anyone who wasn't supposed to be there. "Two of the CSIs out there were working a scene at a well-known gang hangout. They found a hit list with three names on it."

"Eric, Calleigh and me." Horatio didn't look at Calleigh, but at the mention of her name, she looked at him quizzically.

"I called them back, they said they'd fax over anything they have on the gang, including the hit list and the information they have on you. The list said that Cal's priority one. They have a week's head start, and they're probably in Miami already. If I were you, H, I wouldn't let her out of your sight."

"Understood, Mr. Wolfe. Thank you." He hung up the phone and turned to his female companion. "There seems to be a few people from Louisiana here to pay us a visit." He watched as her eyes narrowed and she pulled her children back against her. She was instinctively protecting what was hers. "We should probably get set up in a safe house."

No, absolutely not. Not again! Was she going to have too look over her shoulder for the rest of her life because of one stupid mistake? Granted, it was a mistake that gave her the two greatest things in her life, but it was a mistake nonetheless. She didn't want to have to look over her shoulder every time there was a mention of Ben. He was gone. Why couldn't people let him go? This needed to stop. It was now or never, and if she didn't do something now, this would never stop. She and her kids would always be on the move. She refused to uproot her children every time one of their father's friends felt the need to try and kill them.

She shook her head. "Uh-uh. I am done, Horatio. I am not runnin'." Harvey looked up at his mother, and she rested a hand on top of his head. "We're going home. And we're gonna go about our day, until they decide to introduce themselves properly."

He couldn't help but smile a little. She was slowly turning back into her old self. That was the Calleigh Duquesne that he'd met some odd years ago, not willing to back down from a fight.

"What are you smilin' at?" Her cheeks were turning a little pink. Jordan was tugging at her shirt, so she leaned down and picked her up. Her daughter's head went straight to her shoulder, her eyes drooping.

"You," he replied. He placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her to his office door. "Let's go get Taylor, we'll all go down to the clinic." He opened the door, looking out for the IAB agent they both disliked.

"You go out first, I'll make my way out with the kids a few minutes after." She watched as Horatio made his way out the door, and didn't head toward the elevator. Instead, he ducked out of the stairs that lead down the outside of the building. She stood there for a couple minutes longer, swaying back and forth while holding Jordan in her arms. The girl easily fell asleep. She looked over at her son. "You ready, bud?" He nodded, and Calleigh popped open the office door and started heading for the staircase.

Harvey looked up at his mother. "Momma?" She hummed. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Calleigh sighed inwardly. Children, their tiny bladders had the worst timing. "Okay. C'mon." She took him by the hand, leading him down the hall and led him around the lab. As she was turning down the hall where the bathrooms were, Rick Stetler emerged from the men's room. "Dammit," she muttered, but smiled regardless. "Rick, hey."

"CSI Duquesne, just who I was looking for," he smiled back.

"Uh, Miss Duquesne will do, Rick." She pulled her son back against her, and readjusted the sleeping girl on her hip. "I'm not on the clock, in case you couldn't tell."

He looked at the children she had in tow, and Calleigh could see that he was not quite sure what to do with them. He looked back to her. "Right. Which brings me to my question of why you're visiting Lieutenant Caine on your off-duty hours."

"I had today off, some personal health issues came up. I needed to let him know."

Harvey looked up at Calleigh. "Momma," he whispered.

"Just a second, bud," she said quietly before looking back up at Rick expectantly. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually," he replied. "Is there any particular reason that your daughter was running through the hall calling Lieutenant Caine 'daddy,' Calleigh?"

"It's Miss Duquesne, Rick, and if you'll excuse us, my son has to use the bathroom." She ushered Harvey towards the restroom. "Come on, Harvey."

He turned to follow her movements down the hall? "Just - just one more question, if I could."

She stopped, turning back towards him and sighed. She wasn't in the mood for his games, and if this was some sort of ass-backwards joke for his own personal entertainment... "I'm gonna regret this," she mumbled to herself. "What is it?"

"I've been trying to get a read on how your family's adjusting to Miami."

"Get to the point, Stetler."

"Your kids seem to be doing well here," he said. "How are you and your husband fairing?"

Her eyes narrowed, nostrils flaired and she opened the men's restroom door so her son could go in. "Harvey, stay out of the locker room." As soon as the door was shut behind him, she stepped back over to Rick. For a moment, Calleigh just stared at him before she raised her hand and smacked him across the face. The popping noise echoed in the narrow hallway. She started towards the men's bathroom door.

Rick's expression turned quickly from surprise to anger. "You just stepped over the line, Duquesne!"

Opening the door, she she looked at him, a small fire in her eyes. "Then report me, Stetler."

He watched as she stormed into the men's restroom. He followed her. "You can't come in here."

"Don't you have someone else to harass?" A locker door slammed in the locker room connected to the men's restroom. Calleigh didn't bother to look back or hide. "Harvey, _vamos_!"

Rick grabbed the handle on the door. "I'm going to find Horatio."

"Newsflash: Horatio backs me up, not you," she glared.

"When it comes to workplace etiquette, I think you'll find differently." With that, it was his turn to storm off.

Calleigh sighed, letting her head fall almost completely back so she was staring at the ceiling. She took a deep breath.

"Calleigh?"

She spun around with a slight gasp. "Eric," she smiled. "You look handsome. Got a date?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He smiled back. "Matter of fact, I do. ...Why...are you in the guys' bathroom?"

"Poor choice of a hiding spot." A toilet flushed, and a stall door opened. "Well, that and Harvey was in here."

Eric nodded slowly. "Hey, kid," he said, ruffling Harvey's hair. Harvey laughed, ducking. "So how are you and Perez getting along?"

Calleigh shrugged. " I'm fairly sure she hates me. So, not at all," she laughed.

"She doesn't hate you," Eric chuckled. "She just doesn't like to share." He headed towards the door, holding it open for her and Harvey.

"Thank you," she said, ducking out of the men's restroom. "How long has she been workin' here?"

Eric shrugged. How long had she been here? They'd been dating for a year, so... "She's been here for about six and a half, almost seven years? We went through three or four people trying to replace you before we found her."

Wow. Had she really just left the lab hanging like that ten years ago? If Calleigh had thought to find her replacement, Rio would've been the applicant she hired. The woman knew her way around a ballistics lab. She could only guess she knew her way around a crime scene. "Well. I get why she's territorial."

"She's not the only one." He raised a brow with a smirk.

Calleigh looked up at him in mock disbelief, though she couldn't help but smile. "I am not territorial."

"Oh, but you are." His smirk was now a full blown grin.

"Well," she shrugged, "I nearly lived in that room for ten years. Being back, it's like I never left it." She swallowed hard, remembering what Horatio had told her about. She had to tell him. She stopped, switched Jordan to her other hip, and looked up at her friend. "Look, Eric...we're kinda in trouble."

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Someone followed Horatio and me here from Louisiana. They know about what happened, and they know you were involved. They're in Miami, Eric." She lowered her voice. "They're here to kill us. So, take your gun on your date." They started walking again, and she happened to look out the window as she and Eric were walking past. "Oh, crap...I forgot. Eric, I'm sorry, I have an appointment, I've gotta run! C'mon, Harv."

"I'll see you later!" Eric hollered after her. She smiled and waved hurriedly as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

_Scream. I dare you._

She sat straight up in bed with a gasp, eyes wide. A scream was stuck in her throat, but nothing came out. A hand flew to her forehead, running back over her hair. Calleigh was covered in sweat and out of breath. Her eyelids felt thick, but not with sleep. She wiped them, and found them moist. Had she been crying in her sleep? Trying to remember if she had any dreams, she recalled flashes.

This dream was different from any other dream she'd had before. It was like a film noir, but not completely in black and white. There were random splashes of color. One tree out of dozens was green and gold. She was standing outside, looking up at the stars in the dark night sky. The next flash, she grabbed her head in pain. When she looked down at her hands, the blood was red. The next flash, she was grabbed from behind, a hand clamped over her mouth. His hair, what she could see of it in her peripheral, was chestnut. The next flash, she felt the cold chill of metal against her throat and the hand over her mouth was gone. '_Scream_,' he rasped. '_I dare you._'

A shrill beeping sound filled the room, and Calleigh merely let herself fall back on the pillows with a groan. Looking over in the direction of the alarm clock, she rolled over and slapped the 'off' button. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stood slowly.

Her morning routine went off without a hitch, with the added activity of the pills she was prescribed the day before for the health complication she'd gotten from her scumbag husband. '_Correction_,' she thought. '_Late husband._' Horatio and all three children had been tested the day before. It would be about a week before they got those results back. If any of them had gotten anything from her...she could never forgive herself.

But there was another issue at hand: someone was in Miami to kill her, her boyfriend and her best guy friend. And because they were in danger, there was the very real possibility that the children could be harmed as well. With this added threat, she'd dropped Jordan off at Horatio's, so he could take the girls to the PlayCare Center. From there, he would walk them in and get them settled, kissing each girl on the forehead before leaving for the lab. Calleigh would take Harvey to school, walking him straight to the classroom before leaving him for the day.

"Mr. Wolfe, you are responding over on Tamiami Trail." Horatio handed Ryan a slip of paper. "Go, take Miss Boa Vista with you. Delko." He pulled a slip of paper off the stack he was holding as he turned to the man. "You, sir, are taking Miss Perez over to South Dixie Highway. I'm assuming you've spoken with Calleigh, so make sure your firearms are in working order. Tell Calleigh I need to speak with her. Go."

"Yes, sir!" Eric ran off, heading to the ballistics lab. "Hey, babe, suit up." Rio looked up at him in confusion. "We have a call over on South Dixie. Where's Cal?"

"Right here," Calleigh said, popping out from behind him before Rio got a chance to answer. "Why?"

Eric spun around. He hadn't expected her to be right behind him, and wondered if she'd overheard what he'd said to Rio. "Oh, uh, H wanted to see you." He held an arm out to Rio, nodding a head towards the hallway.

"Hey," she said quickly, placing a hand on Eric's forearm. Perez quickly passed him, shooting a harsh glare at the other blond as she left. Calleigh didn't even bat an eye at the look she got from the other female. "Come see me later." She lowered her voice to an almost whisper. "You've been holdin' out on me," she teased with a grin, and let him go. Eric, grinning and shrugging, waggled his brows and went on his way.

Calleigh grabbed some folders off her table, heading out to find Horatio.

"Duquesne!"

She stopped, rolling her eyes. "What can I do for you, Agent Stetler?" She spun around to meet his smug grin.

"Just wanted to say good morning." He looked almost amused. He almost made her sick. Physically sick. "Have you spoken with Lieutenant Caine yet?"

She tucked a strand of gold behind her ear. "No, I have not. I'm assuming you've filed a complaint about yesterday and that's what he'll be speaking with me about."

"Nothing gets past you, does it Calleigh?"

She gave a small smile. "No, not even the fact that your complaint has no bearing on my work record, seeing as I was off duty yesterday. And when I slapped you, you were too. Even though there weren't any witnesses or marks. Even if you were on duty, nobody could collaborate your story." She smiled widely and winked. "See ya later." With that, she sauntered off.

She knew that he was already off duty yesterday when he ran into her in the hallway? Well, shit. He'd underestimated Calleigh's ability to play games. She hadn't participated much in the politics of the lab before, but her time in New Orleans must've changed her. What the hell happened to her there? He shook his head, cursing the woman under his breath, and began thinking of ways to nail them for fraternization.

Horatio left the briefing room, looking at his watch and wondering why Calleigh hadn't found him yet. The lab was bustling with noise, and the sharp clicking of heels through the halls easily melted into the noise. But the swinging walk of his girlfriend is not something Horatio could miss. He didn't realize that he was smiling as he stood and watched her for a moment before going after her. "Calleigh," he said as he came up behind her.

She spun and smiled. "Heya, Handsome," she replied quietly. "Eric told me you wanted to see me."

"I did," he sighed. "I ran into Stetler this morning, he handed me a formal complaint against you." Calleigh opened her mouth to protest, and he held up a finger to silence her. "I understand that he gets under your skin, Cal, but you can't slap him and not have repercussions brought against you."

"Horatio, he -"

"I'm serious, Calleigh."

'_When are you not serious?_' she thought. She stuck a hand on her hip, putting all her weight on the corresponding leg. "Would you let me speak now?" He nodded. "Thank you, she said simply. "The complaint is invalid. He was off duty by the time he ran into me, and I was off duty the whole day. He wasn't even supposed to be here."

He blinked. Stetler was off duty then? He hadn't known that. "He was off duty?"

She nodded. "For a whole forty five minutes before that. He was off duty when he came to your office."

"How did you find this out?"

Calleigh just smiled up at him. God, he loved that smile. And what he really loved was the fact that he got to see her smile more - she was starting to become more and more the Calleigh he knew ten years ago. The happiness was coming back, and with it her confidence and sass. "I just...came across the information," she answered, still grinning.

"I don't know about you sometimes," he smirked, but his expression soon turned serious again. "This isn't kindergarten, Calleigh. I shouldn't have to remind you to keep your hands to yourself." He watched her raise an eyebrow. "Unless it's self defense. Don't make me tell you again."

"I won't."

"Good. Then," he said, leaning down close to her with a playful smirk before he continued, "grab your gear. We have a call on North Kendall Drive."

* * *

_Feedback is appreciated! Constructive criticism is always welcome. _

_Shoot me an email about what you wanna see! Or...what you _don't_ wanna see. _

_Either way, I take all ideas into consideration and I give full credit for the help._

_Happy reading!_

_-Crisis  
_


	18. i dare you

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSI:M DVDs, and ADD: oh, the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

It had been four days since they found out about the threat against their lives, and nothing had happened yet. Well, it had, but it wasn't bad. Calleigh had an old, standing bet with Eric about whether or not she could get Horatio to a country western establishment of any kind, with the exception of steak houses. Ha! _He owes me fifty bucks,_ she smirked. The Waterin' Trough was a country bar, and Calleigh had talked Horatio Caine into going with her.

"Harvey, don't forget your bag." Her son darted past her, excited for the night's adventures with his Uncle Ryan. "Harvey!" He stopped just before the front door, and turned to look at her. "Get your bag please." With a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropped and he let his head fall backwards. "I know, I know, carryin' your own book bag makes life so much harder. You'll get over it." As she reached into the back seat of her car to unbuckle Jordan, she heard a familiar voice.

"Aww, man, she made you carry your own bag?" Calleigh looked up at Ryan Wolfe, who was standing and holding his front door open, and smirked. He shook his head at her son. "What is she gonna make you do next, clean your own room?"

"Probably," the boy replied. "And Jordan's, too!"

Ryan laughed, and watched the kid go inside. He stepped over to Calleigh's car. Two little feet hit the ground, and two very big, very green eyes looked up at him. He'd seen the girl, but never gotten a very good glance at her. This time, he was looking her right in the face and she was staring right back at him. "Oh my God, Calleigh. What'd you do, spit in a petri dish and wait for it to grow?" He looked from the girl to Calleigh, bewildered.

"What?" Calleigh asked, her voice slightly muffled because she was halfway inside the car to grab her own over night bag and Jordan's book bag laying on the seat.

"You're identical." He looked down at Jordan and smiled. "You look exactly like your mommy, you know that?"

"Momma's pretty, so my pretty like her!" Jordan gave a giant smile.

Ryan chuckled, and looked back to his friend to see the exact same giant toothy grin on her face. He shook his head in disbelief. "Wow," was all he could think to say.

Calleigh slipped the tiny book bag onto her daughter's back, and giggled. "Mhmm. And if she acts anything like I did...then I'm definitely in for a rough ride." She started towards the house, with Jordan in between her and Ryan. "I really appreciate you watching them tonight."

"Not a problem."

"You don't have to worry about feeding them, all three have already eaten. Are - " She was cut off by car doors shutting behind them. She turned around to see Horatio's car sitting behind hers. Horatio had gotten out of the car very quickly, and once he was out he had his daughter out of the car almost immediately. Before she could say 'Yee-haw,' Taylor had her arms arms around Calleigh's leg and Jordan was running towards Horatio. Calleigh smiled, and hiked the girl up on her hip. "Hi, Tink!" Jordan had Horatio by the hand, pulling him up to her mother. "'Bout time, Handsome."

"Hello, Ryan." The younger man nodded his hello as Horatio slinked an arm around Calleigh's waist, pulling her next to him and kissed his hello before looking to the younger man in their presence. "Are you sure you don't mind watching the kids tonight, Mr. Wolfe?"

"No, not at all. Just as long as I get an invite to the wedding," he joked.

Calleigh laughed, leaning closer to Horatio. "If there's a wedding, there's no doubt you'll be invited." She looked at the girl in her arms. "Ready? You gotta go with Uncle Ryan, I gotta put you down." Taylor shook her head, and the blond nodded. "Yeah, you gotta get down."

"No," the tot whined, wrapping her arms and legs around the woman.

Horatio looked at his daughter. "Hop down, Red." Taylor slid down Calleigh's side until her feet were firmly on the ground and poked her bottom lip out. "Hey." Horatio squatted down to the girl's level. "You poke that lip out anymore, it's gonna drag the ground." Taylor let out a little giggle as her father poked her stomach. Standing up, he put his arm back around his girlfriend, looking at both of the young girls standing at his feet and then up at Ryan. "We're gonna get going. It's alright to leave her car here?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Ryan nodded as Calleigh made her way to the front door of Ryan's place. "We'll probably be up around eight, so whenever you two are up, we'll be ready."

They turned to look at the voice coming from the porch. "Okay, okay. I will," Harvey promised as his mother kissed his forehead. "Bye, Momma." He looked over to the red-haired man standing in the yard. "Bye, H!"

Horatio waved. "We'll see you tomorrow, son."

"Okay, girls. Hugs so we can leave!" Calleigh knelt down, hugging one girl in each arm and stood, kissing each on the cheek. "We love you, and we'll see you in the morning." She passed the girls to Horatio and they mumbled their replies before he set them on the ground. By the time they were in the car, Ryan had both of them by the hand and was leading them into the house.

He looked over at her as he drove. "Need anything thing from your place?"

Her eyes darted around to the cars on the road around them. "Hey, how long has that black Chrysler 300 been followin' us?"

He looked in his rear view mirror focusing the car that she inquired about. "Not long, I don't think. Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Just me bein' paranoid, I guess." She glanced at the clock on the dash. 19:38.

"Okay," he said. He felt horrible. Over the last week, Calleigh had been looking over her shoulder for the men who came to kill them. So he arranged for Ryan to watch the kids, leaving them to have a night out with just the two of them. He almost regretted telling her about the men, though he knew she would be more mad about him not telling her than she would be about them trying to kill her. "So, I'll ask again; do you need anything from your place?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Sorry," she shook her head. "Just yours. I have a bag here in the car."

"My place?"

"Yeah. Just head there."

Doing as he was told, it wasn't long before they were stepping into his house. Taylor's toys were still sitting on the living room floor. She pushed one of the toys out of her way as she stepped over to the window to peek out of the blinds. "I'm gonna go put my bag in the room. Come with me." She watched as all three children filed down the hallway in front of them. She took his hand, and led him to the bedroom where she plopped her bag on the bed and unzipped it. Peeking out of the bedroom blinds again, Calleigh checked the outside surroundings again.

He stepped up beside her, looking out the window for her as she turned away. "You seem a little on edge. Are you sure you want to go?" He turned away from the window to look at her, surprised to see that she had gone from 5'6" to 5'2". Well, that and the fact that Calleigh's upper body was covered only by a black lace bra. She hadn't so much as taken her socks off in front of him in the few months that they'd been reunited, and all the sudden she was brave enough to be standing topless three feet from him? "Why are you changing?"

She stopped digging through her duffel bag for a moment. "Horatio." She opened his closet. "I was a little too over dressed. And so are you." She began rummaging through the duffel again. Horatio slipped out of his shoes. "Where is my other...?" Calleigh asked herself, not finishing her question aloud. Looking around for her mysteriously missing item, she eventually looked up at Horatio. She stepped beside him, hugging his waist and leaning her mostly bare self against him. "You are gonna pick somethin', right?"

"Well," he started, "I would, but..." He looked at her. "What I would normally wear is what I'm wearing. Why do we have to change?"

She smirked. "We're going to a country western dance bar. If you don't wanna look like such a sore thumb, then you better dress down, cowboy. Don't worry about boots," she told him as she looked in the closet, digging through what clothes he had hanging up. "I brought an old pair of my daddy's that you can wear." She had a pair of Kenwall Duquesne's boots for him? He asked himself silently why he agreed to this. She grabbed a pair of jeans from the depths of the closet and zipped to the other side of the room where his dresser was, to pull out a white v-neck shirt that he wore under his work shirts. Laying the shirt across her chest and holding the pants to her waist, she looked up at him. "This works, don't you think?"

"I think you look stunning in that," he smirked.

"Not for me, Handsome. For you."

He raised his brows. "In that case..." he smiled, taking the blue jeans from her hands and peeling the shirt from her nearly bare chest. Her newly freed hands had found their way up Horatio's chest and around to the back of his neck. One hand rested on his back and the other was toying with his hair. "I think it'll do."

She smiled. "Well then, allow me to assist you, Lieutenant." Her hands trickled down his chest to pull his shirt loose from his pants, her nimble fingers working quickly at the buttons as he kissed her cheek, trailing down her jaw. His index fingers hooked onto Calleigh's front belt loops and pulled her to him. Her hands were done with his shirt buttons and were starting on his belt. Horatio's lips landed on her neck, and she drew in a quick breath. Before he knew it, she had his belt completely ripped off of him, his pants undone and was tugging down on his pockets. He turned his mouth's attention away from her neck for a moment.

"Calleigh..."

She stood on her tip toes, planting her lips on his a few times before replying. "Yeah, Handsome?"

He unhooked his fingers from his belt loops and grabbed a hold of her hands, which were still tugging down on his pants. "Are you sure about this?" He asked her.

She kissed his chest as she pulled her hands free and hummed her answer. "Mhmm."

Her hands had him free of his black slacks in just a few more seconds."Calleigh." The woman looked up at him. "Think about this."

"Horatio," she said, her hands roaming. "I'm gonna tell you want you tell me all the time; quit thinking so much and just take off my pants."

"I have never asked you to take off my pants," he chuckled.

She smiled through the kisses she was planting against his skin. "I'm paraphrasing," she replied in giggles before she started kissing his jaw, working her way to nibble his ear. He had, of course, obliged her wishes and started undoing her pants, though he wasn't sure about this whole situation. Not that he didn't want this to happen, he did. He just didn't want Calleigh to regret this. Oh, good God, what was he thinking? Couldn't he be a regular guy for one second and be totally in the heat of the moment with the girl of his dreams? The girl of his dreams, who by the way, had to ask him to remove her pants. That must be a first in history. He tugged off the garment, picking her up and sitting her on the bed. Her breath picked up as he kissed her, lowering her so she was laying back on the bed, unhooking her bra as he did so. Calleigh was trying to remove her bra completely with one hand and remedy the one last restraint on her boyfriend's body with the other, silently willing him to do the same. Having to let go of his boxers to free her arm of her bra strap, he finished the task for her and climbed up on the bed with her, hovering above her. He could smell her. He could smell all of her. The soft, jasmine smell of her hair, the scent of her skin was like fresh snow, mixed with her light floral perfume. A low rumble could be heard, and Calleigh took a shaky breath.

No. This shouldn't happen right now. At first thought, she wanted to. She did. But when she started acting on those thoughts...that's when Calleigh knew she was sure. She was sure she was no where near ready for this. A voice was whispering to her. She tried to ignore it. She should stop this now.

But instead of stopping him, disappointing him, she let out a soft moan ran her nails down Horatio's back, pulling him towards her and raising her hips to press against his stomach. She could feel his swell pressing against her leg. As if her heart wasn't going fast enough already, now she was sure it was going to thump right out of her chest. Her chest, where Horatio's mouth was working right now. And Jesus God, did the man know how to use that tongue of his. She pulled him even closer. "Horatio..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, barely loud enough for him to hear. But he did hear it, and her saying his name like that drove him crazy. Within moments she was stripped of her last piece of clothing and had fixed himself directly above her. His tip brushed and teased her down below as their eyes locked and, for a moment, she thought she was gonna pass out from nervousness when she heard that voice in her ear, _his_ voice, getting louder. Ben's raspy threats.

_Don't you dare._

Three words were repeating themselves in her mind: _He's not here._ She shut her eyes. _He's not here._

_You can't ignore me!_

Eyes still shut and her breathing labored, she let her head roll to the side. This isn't exactly how she pictured her first time with the man currently exploring her. _Go away,_ she willed the raspy voice, and pulled Horatio into her. Calleigh gasped sharply at his entrance.

_You're gonna regret this._

She tried to block out the voice of her ex-husband, which was only getting louder, and focus on Horatio starting to move within her. Calleigh's breaths got to be jagged and shallow when Hortatio started gaining momentum. She nearly bit straight through her bottom lip to keep herself from replying to Ben's voice.

_I'm still gonna kill you, bitch._

"I dare you." Calleigh hadn't realized that she'd whispered that aloud.

_I'm still gonna kill you._

* * *

"So then, a security guard told him that the room was off limits and the drunk man just looked at him and said,'It's okay, I have a beard.' And..." Horatio couldn't finish his sentence without stopping for a breath from laughing all night. Calleigh couldn't help but laugh harder than she had in ages as Horatio twirled her around the dance floor to some country song that he didn't know. "And I had no idea what to say to that, I had nothing! All I could do was read him his rights and take him in." They'd been at The Waterin' Trough for a several hours now, and the dynamic duo wasn't exactly sober.

Calleigh leaned against him, between all the drinks and the dancing and the laughing, she was unable to keep her balance. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. The song ended, and Horatio's grip reduced to just one arm tentatively slinked around Calleigh's waist as they walked back to their table on the west wall of the bar. "So you had an interesting week, to say the least!"

Horatio shook his head. "That's not even the last of it," he replied. "One of the females I arrested yesterday, completely off the subject of our conversation, goes, 'And how to I tell my eight year old son that Fur Burger isn't an appropriate name for our new cat?'" Calleigh's eyes went wide and she almost spit out her drink. Horatio took a sip of his beer.

"Why has her son even heard that term?"

"I don't know!"

They laughed together, and when Calleigh finally had enough air, she spoke again. "Good Lord." Calleigh shook her head and sipped her tequila sunrise again. It was her nineth drink that night, and she was almost through with it. "But that is...that is just...holy cow!" She took a deep breath before finishing off the liquid in her cup. "Well. I went to a scene yesterday, and there was a witness there. She looked...well, horrible, actually. There were permanent markers everywhere and she just kept sayin' 'Oh my God, Grandma just showed me her boob! She only has one, oh my God!' and because she looked so damn bad, I asked her how she felt. And she yelled, I mean absolutely yelled, 'I feel so proactive!'" Calleigh savored the sound of Horatio laughing loudly as she did the same. "And then she grabbed the Sharpie markers and started colorin' on everything! The place was a total mess. At the same crime scene, there was a note that said 'To Do List,' but it looks like whoever wrote it just wrote 'Drink a bunch of cough syrup and watch _Who's the Boss_' over and over again 60 times."

"Your week has been just as random as mine has," the man told her as he stood up, winded from laughing so much, and signaled for her to do the same. She grabbed her purse and followed suit, accompanying him to the bar. It was sink or swim that night, and when regular admissions for 21 and older was seven bucks, it was fifteen if you wanted to participate in sink or swim. They were out to have a good time, and while Horatio knew he was only going to have a few beers, he bought them both the fifteen dollar bands. He had a feeling Calleigh would probably drink a few more than he would. They stepped up to the bar, and the bartender looked at them with a smile. One of the few couples who were thoroughly enjoying themselves without being completely rambunctious, he had waited on them on their several trips to the bar. "One more tequila sunrise for the lady?"

"No, actually." Calleigh leaned against the bar. "Can I get big ole Honey Jack and just a splash of Sprite? And...a shot of Wild Turkey, as well as one more Bud Light for the gentleman, please." She gave him a sweet smile, and then gave thanks when she slipped him an eight dollar tip.

Horatio looked down at her carrying the as they went back to their table. In all the years he'd known her, she'd always been a beer kind of girl, with the occasional tequila. But whiskey and bourbon? He raised an eyebrow as they sat back down. "I didn't think you liked hard liquor." He thought she was going to clam up about her newly displayed drinking habits. He thought her expression would go glassy or blank, and she'd deflect the question with a random observation or story she had pulled from the back of her mind, saved specifically for moments like these.

But she didn't.

This side of Calleigh Duquesne was something he had never seen before. He had known her a long time, going back some twenty years, and he had seen her have a few drinks. But never had he seen her intoxicated like this. He didn't think she'd let herself, considering what her father put her through all those years ago.

A mischievous grin snuck across her face. "My brothers and I had a blast when I first moved back to Louisiana. It was like old times, it really was. For the first few years, we'd go out. And I never, ever started it." Horatio raised a brow at her. "Stop that," she grinned. "I really didn't. Tyler usually started things, thinking he could one up Kenny all the time. And when we first started, Kenny whooped him almost every time."

"What were they doing?" He asked curiously.

"Kenny and Tyler are...like our father. They're accomplished drinkers, they know how to hold their alcohol. But unlike our dad, they know when to stop." She grinned, and sipped her honey whiskey drink. "It started with just them seeing who could do the most shots of Jack Daniels and Jim Beam and Johnny Walker. Eventually I joined in. I beat them quite a few times, in the drink tallies and the hangovers. And then...I had kids."

Horatio nodded. "When was the last time you drank?"

"The week before I found out I was pregnant with Harvey," she said with a casual shrug.

Had it really been seven years? He watched as she tapped the shot of Wild Turkey bourbon before she downed it and sat the glass back on the table. For not having a drink in that long, she was carrying herself quite well. "Calleigh..."

"What?" she grinned. "It's not like I'm a teenager who doesn't know her limit, Handsome." She took another drink of her sprite and whiskey. A new song started up. "Oh, babe, come dance with me!"

He had been a good sport about dancing with her, though he knew none of the songs. She'd been good about teaching him, leading him in something for once. All night, they'd danced, talked, laughed until they almost cried and had the most fun that they'd ever had...with the exception of a few hours earlier, while at Horatio's house. The dance lasted for almost four minutes, going to the solid beat of Jason Aldean's 'She's Country,' and Horatio had to admit he'd rather have the opportunity to sit back and just watch her move. When the song was over, it was immediately back to her drink. It didn't take her long to finish it and have it take its effects, the drinks she'd had previously were starting to catch up as well.

"Come to the bar with me, Handsome," she said, tugging on his hand. "One more drink."

"Sweetheart, I think you've had enough, hmm?" He nodded at her to emphasize his point.

She just stared at him with playfully child-like eyes. He couldn't say no to her when she did that and she knew it. There was a small grin on her face. "Just one."

He blinked, thinking over what would happen in each scenario. He came out with the same conclusion in both; nothing would happen to her because he was with her. "Alright, one more, but then I'm cutting you off." She made that deal with him, curled an arm around him as he did the same to her, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll meet you at the bar, I'm going to the restroom."

She nodded, ordered her drink, and had it almost gone when a guy stepped up to her from behind, leaning in close. "Hey, beautiful." The room was spinning, and at first glance, the man looked like Horatio. Well. He looked like Horatio would if Horatio were bald, brown-eyed and black. "Why don't you come dance with me?"

Calleigh smiled, looking around for Horatio. She didn't see him. She giggled a little. "Sure," she slurred, allowing him to lead her away.

When Horatio came out of the bathroom, he stepped up to the bar. He didn't see Calleigh. But...her purse was sitting right there on the bar counter, next to her empty drink cup. He grabbed the purse and waved the bartender over.

"What did you make to drink for the lady I was with?"

"She wanted another tall Honey Jack with a splash of Sprite. Why, You cutting her off?"

Horatio nodded. "Yes, I'd appreciate if you could help me with that. One more question. Did you happen to see where she happened to wander off to?"

The barkeep shook his head. "Sorry. I get paid to make drinks, not watch where they go."

A sigh escaped his lips. He looked at the table through the dwindling crowd. She wasn't there. A faster speed song was playing. Maybe she was out dancing. Stepping over to the railing separating the dance floor with the rest of the bar, he studied it for the first few minutes of the song. It was nearing 2:30 am, and she was nowhere in sight. His heart started to race.

Bursting through the front doors, emerging outside of the club, and saw nothing but a car pulling out of a parking spot near the door. With the lights from the parking lot shining into the car, he saw three men, but no women.

Stepping up to the guy dressed in blue jeans, a cotton flannel shirt and a ten gallon cowboy hat that was guarding the re-entry door, he pulled out his badge and demanded to know if the blond in the photo had left with anyone.

"Sure did, just left. You just missed her. She musta been havin' a really good time, cos she wasn't happy about leavin'. The three guys who just pulled out of the parkin' lot said they was droppin' her off at her sister's."

"What did they look like?"

"Aww, gee, I don't 'member faces, but I 'member one was white. Them other two was black."

Horatio seethed. How could he have let this happen? Calleigh was gone, and there was little chance he'd get her back this time. Her purse still in hand, he dug the keys to his car out of his pocket and pulled out his cell.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. "Dammit, Eric," he cursed under his breath. Four rings. Voicemail. "Eric, it's Horatio. We have an emergency concerning Calleigh. Call be back as soon as you get this, I need to make sure you're okay." He disconnected the call, climbed in his car and rushed straight to the crime lab. For the past two days, three of Calleigh's colleagues from New Orleans had been in Miami, tracking the men who had followed them. Benjamin Dennison and his partner Ripley Washington, who had discovered the hit list, and their supervisor Marshall Roux. He had no idea what had happened when his best CSI disappeared three months ago, though he was briefed on what he needed to know right now. They were filling in as temporary full-time employees assigned to this case.

"Roux!" Horatio hollered, wandering through the halls of his crime lab. The man appeared in front of him with his fellow outsiders by his side. "Calleigh's been taken. Black 2010 Chysler 300, last three on the plate are L86. Check our records." He looked at Benji. "Dennison, I'm gonna give you an address. Calleigh's children are there. You're taking your weapon and you will stay with them. Ripley," he continued to bark orders as he turned to the girl. "Get with Dave Benton in A/V and check all the traffic cameras around 66th and 126th. Look for that Chrysler 300."

He watched as two of the southerners broke away from them to complete their assigned tasks, Benji still hanging back with him for that address. Horatio scribbled down Ryan Wolfe's address. "This is CSI Wolfe's residence. He has been somewhat briefed on this, but feel free to fill him in on what's happened tonight. I'll call him to let you know you're on the way."

Benji looked up at the man. "And Calleigh's kids are with him?"

"Yes sir," Horatio nodded. "As well as my daughter. I don't mean to be rude, but when we find Calleigh, and we will, and our children have been left without protection, Calleigh is not a very pleasant person so I would waste no time getting there, Mr. Dennison."

"Already gone," he said confidently, taking off and disappearing into the elevator. He knew Calleigh was a spitfire, but it wasn't her wrath he was worried about. That red head had this quiet calm about him that said plain old crazy.


	19. wheres momma?

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSI:M DVDs, and ADD: oh, the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

* * *

As she was thrown against the wall, a loud smack was heard, as well as a whimper. Blond locks hung from her head in a tangled mess. Her jeans, ripped and torn stylishly when she put them on earlier, were now laying in a destroyed heap across the room. Her top had been ripped off after they'd left The Waterin' Trough and used as a blindfold for her. Calleigh was now clad in nothing but her lingerie and boots. Hand cuffs adorned her wrists. A purple splotch was forming around her right eye, and a split was made on the right side of her bottom lip. The woman flung a foot out, kicking the man who was stepping up to her. She had kicked him rather high, and felt something plastic in his pocket knock against her heel.

"Look, bitch!" He glared at her. "I don't know who you think you're dealin' with but you three ain't gettin' away with what you did!" A leather strap was swung, catching her across the left side of her face with a loud pop. She let out a shriek.

A second man spoke up. "Leave her alone, she wasn't even there!"

"Nobody asked you, Pedro."

She may have been well over the legal limit to be considered intoxicated when the man lured her from the bar, but considering what had gone down in the last two hours, she'd sobered up quite a bit. And she knew for a fact that the other man's voice...that was Eric! Thank God she wasn't alone. She wondered how long he had been here, and if anyone even realized he was missing. _It doesn't matter right now. Worry about getting out of here._ Her back was leaning against the wall, her eyes were narrowed at the man she recognized as a co-worker of her husband's. _Ex,_ she reminded herself. She'd just found out that her husband was the leader of the Louisiana section of the Banditos gang. "He's right. I wasn't there. I didn't do shit."

"Shut the fuck up," Joe ordered.

Calleigh snarled, her eyes locked with his. "You shut the fuck up!" There was a fire in her eyes and he knelt down, his face just inches from hers. That word hardly ever came out of her mouth. Last time she used it was the first time Ben had almost killed her. She was popped again with the leather strap. She yelled out in pain once more before making another demand. "Get these cuffs off of me! Where did you get them?"

Joe looked at her. She was feisty, wasn't she? "Your friend Pedro over there donated two pairs to our cause."

"His name is Eric, and I'm sure he didn't willingly give them up to the likes of _you_. Now take them off of me," Calleigh ordered.

Eric looked over at her. "Calleigh..."

She was still glaring at the man invading her personal space. Joe grinned. "Not a chance, Barbie." Calleigh spat in the man's face.

"Calleigh!" Eric hissed. "Stop!"

"You tramp! Get up." He jerked her up by the arm. "Get up!"

Eric's eyes were wide. He'd heard her screaming before she'd been brought out and thrown against the wall. He knew what had happened to her was about to happen again. "No! Leave her alone!"

"I wasn't talkin' to you, Pedro!" Joe yelled.

Calleigh glanced back at him, tears in her eyes. "I'll be fine, Eric." She was thrown down on a mattress sitting on the ground, and the door to the crude 'bedroom' was slammed shut and locked.

Eric, still in the outer room, was unable to do anything more than scoot to the closed door, kick it with his feet and yell and holler to create a distraction to the man inside. Beyond that, he was forced to listen to the torture being inflicted on his friend.

* * *

Rio Perez looked at the clock. 0452. It was nearly time for her and Eric to get up for work.

There was one problem: Eric hadn't made it home the previous night. _I bet he was out with that floozy._ She thought as she narrowed her eyes. Ever since Calleigh had made her return to the lab, she had managed to steal half of her lab and some how, her boyfriend.

Grabbing her cell phone, she dialed his number. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. She had to get to Calleigh, and set her straight about her boundaries with Eric.

But what if he wasn't with Calleigh? What if something was wrong? Her stomach dropped. She hadn't even considered that. Had her past caught up with her here? Thoughts of Eric and Calleigh suddenly seemed silly now.

The man's voice came through the phone's speaker. _Voicemail. Again._ The beep sounded. "Eric, it's me again. I'm starting to get worried. Please, call me back."

She started at the phone for a full five minutes before she kicked into her morning routine. In no mood to complete her morning run, she made her way straight to the bathroom. A small, dime sized drop of BioSilk was poured into her hand, rubbing it crazily into her blond pixie cut locks with complete disregard of actual style. A small, black, pocket comb was ran through her hair and very minimal make up was applied to her face.

By the time her alarm went off at 0530, she had been dressed and ready to leave for nearly fifteen minutes and had managed to check her phone more times than she cared to admit.

Flipping the alarm off, she grabbed her keys and headed out the door. In the perking lot of her apartment complex, Eric's dark grey Pontiac G6 was sitting right next to hers. What the hell?

Now, she knew for sure. The realization that something had happened to Eric had annihilated any concerns that her boyfriend was with her least favorite co-worker. It had her stomach churning. Half way to her car, her phone rang. Pressing the 'Accept' button on the screen when she saw that it was from Eric, she didn't know whether to be pissed or relieved. "Thank God! Where the hell are you?" There was no direct answer.

* * *

Eric still wasn't answering his phone. He wasn't due in for another hour and fifteen minutes. Horatio had been at the lab since close to three. He didn't mind that he hadn't slept; it was very clear to him that, at the moment he realized Calleigh was missing, he wasn't getting a wink of sleep.

On his way down the hallway, the rapid clicking of heels caught his attention, and he turned to see Rosario Perez running towards him. "Horatio!" As she closed in on him, she stumbled a bit. His reflexes were sharp, and he instantaneously flung hims arms out, grabbing her to keep her from hitting the floor. "Horatio, we need to talk."

He placed his hands on his hips. The woman was obviously distraught. Rio's accent reminded him of Yelina's, but slightly stronger. The first time he heard her speak, he was caught off-guard by that. When she told him that her homeland was Ecuador, Horatio was just confused. With her All-American appearance, he didn't expect any distinctive accent much less an exotic background like that. "What can I do for you, Miss Perez?"

"I think something's wrong, I got a call from Eric's cell." Horatio opened his mouth to speak, but Rio shot him a look, holding up a finger to silence him. He closed his mouth and let her continue. Usually, that was impossible to do and she was one of only two people that could do it. "Whoever called me didn't know they did. It sounded like something was rubbing up against the mic on the phone. Like it was in someone's pocket."

Sure that she was done, Horatio spoke. "How do you know he's in trouble?"

How did she explain to her boss that she was breaking protocol by dating her co-worker? They'd kept it secret for a year, which was longer than they'd thought possible, and now she had to out their relationship. "His car was parked next to mine when I left this morning, but he never came in last night."

"Eric was staying at your place last night?"

Rio nodded. "Yes sir."

"Okay. We can talk about that later." Rio nodded, a look of slight relief flashed before it turned back to concern. "What I need to know is, when you answered the phone, what did you hear? Voices, background noises?"

"I...I don't know."

Horatio tilted his head slightly to the left. "Rosario, I need you to remember. Think back," he instructed. "I need to know what you heard."

Rio closed her eyes, breathing deeply. What _did_ she hear? She pictured being back in the parking lot, looking down at her phone and seeing Eric's name pop up on her screen.

_"Thank God! Where the hell are you?" She asked hastily._

_She waited for a response, waited to hear Eric's velvet voice so her shot nerves would be soothed. Instead, a loud pop was heard, followed by a woman's shriek. A man spoke up. "Leave her alone, she wasn't even there!" That was Eric's voice!_

_"Nobody asked you, Pedro," a second man said._

_A woman spoke next. Her voice sounded familiar. "He's right. I wasn't there. I didn't do shit."_

_"Shut the fuck up." The second man's voice was commanding and harsh._

_"You shut the fuck up!" It was the woman again. That sounded like...was that her overly friendly labmate? Was that Calleigh? If so, she had spunk. 'Fuck' was not a word that she thought Calleigh knew. Rio heard the same pop, and another yelp of pain from the woman._

_"Get these cuffs off of me! Where did you get them?"_

_"Your friend Pedro over there donated two pairs to our cause."_

_"His name is Eric, and I'm sure he didn't willingly give them up to the likes of you. Now take them off of me," the woman ordered._

_"Calleigh..." It was Eric. He sounded like he was warning her. So it was her labmate. What were she and Eric doing together?_

_The unknown man sounded entertained for a moment. "Not a chance, Barbie."_

_"Calleigh!" Eric exclaimed. "Stop!"_

_"You tramp! Get up." Rio didn't know what she did, but it must've been offensive. The guy was yelling at her. "Get up!"_

_Eric tried to defend her. "No! Leave her alone!"_

_"I wasn't talkin' to you, Pedro!"_

_"I'll be fine, Eric," she told him. A door was slammed shut. It sounded like the phone hit something hard, like it had been dropped on the floor. The next thing she heard were Calleigh's slurred screams. Rosario didn't want nor need to hear this. She knew what was happening, and disconnected the call._

As Rio told Horatio everything she'd heard in the time she stayed on the line, the man's bearing on his emotions was kept surprisingly in check, until she mentioned the end of the call.

Horatio's eyes were wide. Was she kidding? "You're sure?" Rio nodded solemnly. "Dammit," Horatio growled. "Dammit!" The man's fist banging against a nearby desk startled the woman. She'd never seen him break his military bearing. In the seven years she'd been here, she'd never seen Horatio anything but calm, with the occasional show of disgust. This outburst consisted of nothing but pure rage.

"Horatio?" She called quietly. He turned around, his face starting to turn as red as his hair. "At the end, when she started...screaming? She called the man Joe."

"Thanks," Horatio managed through his clenched teeth. He stormed off, leaving Rio standing in the middle of the hallway, a little frightened at the sight of her boss losing his cool.

* * *

There was a pile of vomit next to the bed and her voice was hoarse from screaming. Her shoulders were in excruciating pain. She could hear Eric hollering and kicking the locked door that separated them. He'd been kicking the door on and off for the past few hours. Calleigh wished they had drugged her. She didn't want to remember this.

It was one thing to be assaulted at the hands of her husband. It had happened more times over the last seven years than she could count. She eventually came to expect that it would happen, and learned not to fight back if she valued her bones enough to keep them from getting broken. It was completely different to be assaulted at the hands of your ex-husband's gang buddies. She fought the entire time, as much as she could with her hands bound behind her back and occasionally a hand around her throat. In the last two and a half hours, Joe had been the only one to take a turn with her. She'd tried to roll away, but he'd just dragged her right back onto the bed. Without the use of her arms, she wasn't gonna get far. The other two were across the room, looking at a laptop screen and talking about more while Joe finished with her. She stopped screaming. She was in so much pain, and if he were going for more, she wasn't sure she could fight anymore. With her hands bound behind her back and laying like that while she was fighting the man off had her shoulders feeling like they were going to break, completely dislocate and fracture at any moment. The gang leader stepped over to the laptop with the others.

Thankfully, when Joe reached the others, the other men didn't move. Someone must've answered her prayers. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for a possible way out. She could manage to get up, but there was no way she could get up, walk over and unlock the door without her being seeing. Calleigh glanced at the three men, each sitting in at the laptop shirtless. Joe was the only one in his boxers. Their eyes were fixed on the computer screen and they were laughing at whatever they were watching. The sound was turned up pretty loud, and the movie of the night sounded like 'The Hang Over 2.' Confident she wouldn't be heard over the commotion of the movie, she sat up, and scooted forward the pile of pants at the foot of the bed and turned around. Maybe they left the key to the handcuffs in their pockets. The first pair served useless, as they felt like hers. The second pair was the jackpot. Not only were the handcuff keys in them, but so was Eric's phone. She scooted back to the middle of the bed, grabbing the pillow and slipped the items inside the pillowcase to keep them out of sight, and laid back down.

No sooner than her head hit the pillow did Joe, the man who had initially dragged her away from Eric, looked back to make sure she wasn't trying to get away. Why hadn't they just drugged her?

* * *

Benji Dennison had been at Ryan Wolfe's residence since around 4 that morning with the news that Calleigh had been abducted. Ryan had moved his car into his garage, and Benji had parked a few houses down. It looked like the house was empty. Ryan had gotten the call that morning at 0815, instructing him to bring the children to the lab in time for his impromptu night shift. Each child was carrying their own book bag with their belongings. Horatio had gone home to change earlier, and had brought blankets and pillows for the children.

It was now after dark, and there had still been no word from whoever this 'Joe' character was that had taken Eric and Calleigh. He obviously had no plans of giving them up. He was the next one to be grabbed, and he knew he had to keep the children somewhere that the group who took their mother wouldn't be able to get to them. Where better than the police department? There was an entire two floors crawling with cops underneath the crime lab, where there was at least a half a dozen security officers at any given time.

Ryan and the kids were joined in the parking lot by Horatio. All three kids ran to him for hugs, so he took a knee and wrapped all three of them in his arms. "Where's Momma?" Harvey asked.

"Yeah, Daddy, where's Momma?" Taylor repeated.

The question broke his heart. He hadn't known that his daughter had gotten so attached to Calleigh in the last three months. It created a conflict in his heart, and suddenly he knew what Calleigh had been feeling when Jordan had called him 'Daddy' for the first time; he was happy, he found someone that he loved, who loved his daughter, and his daughter loved her. But on the other hand, the first person that Taylor ever called 'Momma' wasn't Marisol like it should've been. That little fact was something he knew would never happen. That right was taken from the small girl almost two years ago. But if she was going to call anyone other than Marisol by the term of endearment, he was glad it was Calleigh.

"We maded somethin' for her," Jordan said, bringing Horatio out of his thought process.

Horatio smiled. "Did you? Well, she's not here right now, but we can go in and put it on her desk for when she comes back. Okay?" Jordan nodded, and he kissed the girl's forehead before he stood to speak with Ryan.

"What are we looking at, H?" Ryan asked.

"Trouble, Ryan. And lots of it." He scooped up Taylor with one hand, and grabbed Jordan's hand with the other. "You get in touch with Rio, she will fill you in when you and Tripp take her statement."

"Okay," Ryan nodded. "What are you gonna do?"

"I, Mr. Wolfe, am going to take the kids to ballistics. And then we will be in my office, trying to track down Eric and Calleigh."

Ryan followed Horatio and the children into the elevator building, where Ryan stayed on the first floor and Horatio continued up to the third floor. People watched as he walked through the halls toting three children around, gossiping about the fact that he had not only his daughter, but Calleigh's children as well. Gossiping about the fact that Horatio had a price on his head. That last rumor wasn't really true. There was no price on his head. The Banditos just wanted him dead. Entering the ballistics lab, Rio turned to see who was coming in. "Miss Perez," Horatio nodded, sliding Taylor down to the floor.

"Horatio? What are you doing here?"

"We maded somethin' for Momma," the miniature Calleigh said, looking up at Rio and handing her the craft that the children had made for her labmate. "Daddy said we could put it in here."

Daddy? Rio looked at Horatio, seeing him flush a little. She smirked at the sight, considering the last time she saw him he was incredibly enraged, and felt incredibly stupid for thinking Calleigh was going after Eric. Eric had told her that she was seeing someone, and Rio had a hard time believing it. With Calleigh's little girl calling Horatio 'Daddy,' and Horatio's anger when he heard about the phone call, she saw that Eric was telling the truth and she made a mental note to apologize when she got him back. Calleigh and Horatio...hmm. She never would have thought. She smiled down at the tiny blond. "Is that right? Well," her heavily accented voice was quite sweet as she looked over the craft. It was made out of red construction paper. The three kids had each drawn a stick figure with their name under it, and one of them had glued a pink border around it. The words 'We love you' were written in the middle. "I'm sure your mommy will absolutely love it, sweetie." She handed the heart back to Jordan.

Horatio smiled. She seemed very...standoffish towards Calleigh, he knew the women weren't very fond of each other at all. And he'd never witnessed Rio dealing with children first hand. But children when they were mentioned, she was somewhat unsympathetic, though Horatio was pleasantly surprised when Rio played nice. "These are Calleigh's children, Harvey and Jordan, and this is my daughter, Taylor. They'll be joining us in the lab until Calleigh and Uncle Eric come back from their field trip."

"I guessed they were Duquesne's. They look just like her. Well, except for the one that looks just like you," she told Horatio before looking down at the children. "I bet you guys can't wait until she gets back! Here," she said. "Let me help you put that up on mommy's desk." Rio lifted the girl, holding her steady so Jordan could set the heart on the desk resting against the computer monitor. "You think she'll see it there?"

"Oh yeah," Harvey said. "It's bright red, how can you miss it?"

Rio set the girl on her feet and smiled as she gave thanks, and retreated to Horatio's side. "You and I will speak about the relationship between you and Eric later. For now, Ryan and Tripp are waiting downstairs. They need to take your statement."

"Of course." She smiled and waved at the children before leaving.

With the paper craft heart on the table for Calleigh to see when she came back, Horatio took the children to his office. The girls had automatically taken to chatting on the floor with Barbie dolls from their book bags, while Harvey had curled up on the couch almost completely asleep. With a vibrate of his phone, he pressed the 'Accept' button. "Caine."

"Lieutenant, it's Marshall." Horatio said nothing, so he continued. "We've got a start on that Chrysler. It's registered to a New Orleans rental company called Batista Auto Rentals. It took a while to find the license plate in the system because I was searching Florida and not Louisiana."

He should've paid more attention to the car when Calleigh pointed it out on the road on the way to his house. She wasn't just being paranoid then. "Were you able to get a hold of them before they closed?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, no. We just called and got a recorder. They open in the morning at eight."

Horatio sighed. The pair could be dead by then, and he could be with them. "And did Ripley pull anything off the street cameras?"

He heard Marshall take the phone away from his face and speak to someone else. After a short moment, Ripley's voice came through the receiver. "Lieutenant Caine?"

"Yes, ma'am? What do you have for me?"

Ripley was looking over the footage from the street cameras again. "I can see the car leaving The Waterin' Trough parking lot, but I've looked these things every which way you can think of," she explained. "The car disappears three blocks down when they turn into an alley right off of 66th. I've looked down the streets off to the side of the road, but...no luck."

Not news that Horatio wanted to hear. "Most rental companies have GPS systems on their cars to avoid theft, don't they?"

"Yeah," the Louisiana girl answered. "So?"

"So, Ripley, what I need you to do is take the VIN for that Chrysler and run it through the Goldstar Tracking System," he told the younger girl. "I'll hold while you do that."

"Yes sir." The sound of fingers hitting the keyboard could be heard on Horatio's end of the line, and it was only a few minutes before Ripley spoke again. "It looks like it's sitting at 14565 Atlantic Shore Boulevard. But - woah, wait. It's moving. It's headed east."

"That's good work, Ripley. If you'll meet me at my office, I would appreciate that." Horatio disconnected the call and looked over at the children. Harvey was completely asleep, curled up in one corner of the couch while the girls had fallen asleep on the floor. He smiled. Taylor had fallen asleep against Jordan. Picking them up and laying them out on the couch one at a time, he covered all three up.

Grabbing his key ring, he waited inside the room for Ripley to arrive. Considering she was just fifty feet away, it didn't take her very long. "Ripley," he nodded his greeting. "I know it's not in your job description, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would watch the children while I make a run." He held out the keys. "You are not to leave unless absolutely necessary."

"Of course," she replied.

"Thank you. Here are the keys to my office. Lock the door when I leave, please." He took one last glance at the children before walking out the door, on his way across town.

* * *

She waited a few moments before she did anything. Her entire body sore, she reached inside the pillowcase and grabbed the keys to the handcuffs, popping one cuff free. "Eric?" She called through the door.

"Cal, are you okay?" He called back.

"I'm fine, I just want out of here. Are they gone?"

He saw them walk out the door to the outside, though listened around anyway. "Yeah," he answered. "I don't hear anything."

"Good. I'm coming out." Calleigh unlocked the door, one wrist still cuffed and moved behind her friend to free his wrists. As soon as he had free movement of his arms, he grabbed her in a bear hug. She hugged him back with what strength she had left. Her eyes watered. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"This is not your fault," he replied.

She took a deep breath, pulling away and looking up at him. "Jesus, Eric, what happened?"

There was a gash, a rather large gash that ran down the right side of his forehead. On the opposite side of his face, his left cheek was busted open and there was trail of dried blood underneath it.

He pulled back to look at her. Her face was bruised, her lip split and her throat had a purple hand print wrapped around it. Her wrists were bloody, from struggling against the cuffs. "I could ask you the same question." His eyes moved down her scantily clad body. She cringed, turning away as he did. "Cal..."

"I couldn't find my clothes," she told him, knowing her missing outfit wasn't what he was concerned with. "I thought my clothes were in the corner of that room, but they weren't. I'll be right back." She walked back into the room she had been imprisoned in for the last several hours and reached back into the pillowcase for Eric's phone.

* * *

He had left the lab ten minutes ago, and neither his lights nor siren were on, so he didn't attract attention to himself. Marshall Roux was riding with him and officers that were already out on the road were on their way. Just as he was pulling out onto Biscayne Boulevard, his phone rang again. It seemed that it never stopped ringing. Eyes on the road, he answered it without looking at the name that popped up. "Yeah, Caine."

"Horatio?"

"Calleigh?" He tensed up. Her voice was raspy and it sounded like she'd been crying. "Are you and Eric alright? We're gonna find you, Sweetheart."

The sound of his voice was the sweetest thing she could imagine at the moment. "No," she replied. "I'm not alright. They're not here right now. They're coming to get you. Where are you, where are the kids?"

"I'm on my way and the kids are at the lab. The men won't make it out of there without police escorts," he assured her. "How did you get a hold of a phone?"

"When they were all...relaxed...I stole Eric's phone and handcuff keys." She took a deep, shaky breath, and covered the phone's mic. "Eric, try the doors." She uncovered the mic and stepped back into the crude bedroom.

"Somehow, Eric's phone called Rio. She was on the line for several minutes before she heard the phone hit the ground."

"Great. Rio probably thinks I'm out havin' wild hot sex with Eric. As if she didn't hate me enough." Calleigh's shaky breath was entirely audible. "I kicked Joe, and I guess I hit the phone. I'll have to get Eric a new one; I kind of cracked the screen with my boot."

"Don't worry about the phone right now. Rio doesn't think that."

"You don't know that."

"I do. Jordan is still in the habit of calling me 'Daddy,' and did it in front of her. If she thought you were after Eric, I'm sure she thinks differently now." She didn't say anything, and Horatio didn't like how quiet she was. "When Ryan brought them to the lab today, Taylor asked where 'Momma' was. The kids miss you," he told her. He heard her sniffle. She wanted to hold her babies in her arms more than anything. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. And them. And when these bastards - wait, Taylor called me 'Momma'?" Her eyes watered, quickly filling and allowing a few tears to fall.

"She did. But don't worry, Harvey and Jordan did, too." He heard her chuckle through her tears and knew she understood that he was okay with that. "And there's some friends of yours here."

"They're there? Horatio, you need to get the kids and get out of there!"

"No, no Sweetheart. I'm in the car," he said. "I meant some of your friends from the New Orleans Crime Lab. Marshall, Benji and Ripley. Ripley is at the lab with the children." There was no reply. "Calleigh?"

"Send them home," she said quietly.

"I can't do that. It's their case."

"Horatio, please? I...I don't want them to know what happened here."

He sighed. "They already know about Ben."

"I don't care that they know about Ben," she said. "I should've told them about him a long time ago. Eric wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if I had. I wouldn't be standing almost completely -"

"No luck with the doors, Cal," Horatio heard Eric say from the other side of the line. "Have you been able to find your clothes?"

That alarmed him, confirming what Rio had said earlier. Not that he thought the woman was lying, but he didn't necessarily want to believe that it happened. He sped up. "Calleigh, may I speak with Eric, please?"

"Sure, hang on."

"Thank you. I love you, and I will see you soon."

_Not soon enough,_ she frowned. "I love you back, Handsome."

The phone was handed off. "What's up, H?"

There was something off about the man's voice, though he couldn't tell what it was. "How are you holding up, Eric?"

"Could be better, but we're all alive so no complains from me. Did you try to track my phone's GPS?"

"Yes," Horatio replied. "They've jammed the signal. You've tried to get out of the building?"

"All the doors are locked form the outside."

"What about windows?" Horatio asked instinctively.

Eric looked around the building. It was some sort of warehouse. Why were warehouses always used for illegal activities? "They're all too high to get to. I have no idea where this place is. They blindfolded me when they grabbed me, but we're inside a warehouse."

"I have the address to where you're at." he said. "Eric, Miss Perez is extremely concerned about you," Horatio told him.

So Horatio knew where he was abducted from, that they had been staying together for a short time. He hinted two weeks ago that he knew about him and Rio, so it was no surprise that he mention her. "Tell her I'll be there in time for breakfast tomorrow."

The phone beeped. "Eric, I have another call. I'll be there soon."

Clicking over to the other call, he heard a whisper. "Horatio!"

"Rosario?" he asked.

"They're here, looking for you."

"As I figured they would be. I spoke with Eric, and -"

"You spoke to him?"

"Indeed I did, ma'am. He said he would be home for breakfast tomorrow, a promise I intend to deliver on. Now, stay where you are. Ripley Washington, one of our visiting officers, has the children in my office." His mind was whirring for ideas to give Rio. "Keep your fire arm on you. If things take a turn for the worst, don't hesitate to use it."

"Got it." She replied.

"Do whatever you have to, but do not endanger your life. That's an order, Perez. Keep yourself safe." He hung up the phone, pulling into the parking lot of the warehouse.


	20. the beginning of the end

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own any of the CSI: Miami team, but I do happen to own a few characters in here. The ones you don't recognize? Yeah, mine. I have a computer, CSI:M DVDs, and ADD: oh, the thrills I will have ruinin' the lives of our favorite characters.

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter is so damn short. But. You know, writer's block and all that jazz.

* * *

As soon as Horatio had left the parking lot, the small redheaded child woke up. Ripley was only twenty-two, and had no idea what to do with one child let alone three. She looked out the window. Her stomach was about in her throat and she was ready to be sick. Headlights pulled into the parking lot, and under the glow of the parking lot's lights, she recognized the car as a black Chrysler 300. Her eyes went wide. This was not good.

"Hey," she said, shaking the two sleeping children awake. "Hey, sleepyheads, we have to go." Ripley rushed in getting their backpacks on them.

Harvey rubbed his eyes. "Where are we going?"

"We're playing a game. It's called, uh..." Ripley bit her lip in thought. "It's called the quiet and sneaky game. We have to tiptoe real quiet and you guys can't say a word."

"Why?"

"Because..." How did she tell a six year old that they were running from the men who were taking their parents hostage to kill them, and wouldn't hesitate to kill three children in the process? "Because I said so. And because whoever wins gets a dollar."

Harvey perked up. "I'm game!"

"Okay, but shhh," she replied. "The game starts now." Unlocking and opening the door, she led the children into the hallway. She locked the office door from the inside before closing it behind her. The door to the outside staircase exit was only a few feet away, and silently prayed that there wasn't an alarm attached to the door. There was no time to be overly cautious, so she just turned the handle as quietly as she could. No alarm went off. Ushering the children outside, she grabbed up Taylor and took Jordan's hand. "Hurry, guys!" she whispered. After what felt like an hour, they reached solid ground and Ripley lead them to the rental car that she, Benji and Marshall shared. A dark figure was walking towards them, and the young CSI prayed that it wasn't more trouble. Once they got closer, Harvey's face lit up.

"Aunt Nattie!" The boy took off running toward the woman, hugging her legs.

Natalia laughed. "Hey, Harv! What are you doing? Where's your momma?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "H said she was on a field trip."

Natalia looked up from the boy. "Washington, right?" Ripley nodded. "I thought Cal had off until Monday."

Ripley nodded. "Yeah, she did. Her field trip is complementary of the Louisiana Banditos. You might wanna skip work tonight."

"Why?"

"Because the Banditos just stormed in there. They don't think twice about pulling the trigger."

Natalia looked worried. "Who's all in there?"

"I don't know. Marshall left with Horatio, I think. They went to rescue Eric and Cal. Benji's in there, but...I really don't know the rest of your team..."

Eric was on the 'field trip,' too? The Latina woman shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she said. The lights were still on inside the building and Natalia could see Rio standing with the men. They didn't look like they were going to harm her. In fact, it looked like she was helping them. "Get them out of here," she instructed.

* * *

It was closing in on eleven pm, and Rosario Perez was in the throws of an adrenaline rush. The men who were holding her boyfriend and labmate hostage had rushed the police precinct. She wasn't sure how, but she'd managed to make the men believe she was a soon-to-be inmate arrested on a theft charge. Her badge had been slipped into her back pocket. Her hands were bound, handcuffs were slipped loosely around her wrists, and her gun was tucked in her waist band resting against the small of her back. Tripp followed along with her story without batting an eye.

"I'm not gonna ask you again, Tubby!" Joe yelled, poking his gun in Tripp's direction. "Where is Caine?"

Frank's nostrils flared in agitation. "And I'm not gonna tell you again, Homie," he said. "He went out on a call in Hialeah before you decided to grace us with your heavenly presence. Sirens, flashing lights, the whole she-bang."

Rio shot Tripp a look, narrowing her eyes at him. Was he _trying_ to get them killed? "Hey," she started in her heavy accent, "are you a complete moron? They have a gun pointed at us. If you would stop taunting them, I would greatly appreciate that."

"Shut up, Sticky Fingers," he spat as he tugged on her cuffs. She flinched, just for show. It didn't really hurt. "Your opinion doesn't count."

Joe looked between Rio and Frank, finally settling his gaze on Frank. "You. Uncuff her." Frank did as he was told, and Rio felt the service weapon being pulled from her waist band. Joe's eyes flicked over to Rio. "What's your name, Sticky Fingers?"

"Rosario," she told him while rubbing her freed wrists for effect.

"Rosario. What'd you get arrested for?"

"I boosted a 1965 Mustang from a vintage car dealership," Rio lied.

"How far did you get?"

She smirked. "The state line."

"Impressive. I don't think I like the name 'Rosario' very much, though. I think I like Boost better. So take the gun that Tubby has and join me over here, Boost. And take off your heels. You'll need to keep up when we run outta here."

She hadn't planned past this point, but snatched her weapon from Tripp, kicked off her heels and stepped over to him anyway. Joe's buddies, Biggie and Eddie, were bringing down everyone from the two floors above. "Put your guns in a pile on the front desk and get on the floor over there with everyone else," Biggie barked. The officers they brought down, four in all, put their service weapons on the reception desk and joined the rest of the building's occupants on the floor. He stepped over to Joe. "Building's clear. We found a locked door upstairs, but we busted in. The room was empty."

Rio looked over at the big black man who was speaking. Horatio's office was empty? Then where were Ripley and the three children? She kept her game face on and one ear on the conversation, but she was thoroughly confused. Horatio and Calleigh's children could not have just disappeared. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. It was coming from outside of the building. She casually looked at the people outside, and saw three small silhouettes and two big ones. Ripley and the children were getting out of there, and the other tall figure had to be Natalia. She was due in for the night shift. She couldn't let any of the people outside be seen. Turning in the opposite direction of the door, where she knew Ryan was, she hollered. "Hey!" Ryan looked at her, and the three Banditos looked at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ryan stared at her, wide eyed. She had caught him off guard. "Well...I um...had to...I uh..."

Rio sneered. "Uh, um, uh, uh, um," she mocked. "Stop stammering and get away from the elevator!" Ryan obeyed the order. "You look like you're gonna piss yourself."

He took her cue. "That's w-where I was going. To the bathrooms. I-I have a nervous bladder."

"Tell your nervous bladder to man up and hold it. And stop stuttering!"

Joe, Biggie and Eddie exchanged glances. The girl that Joe had enlisted to help was all of five feet tall and looked as light as a feather, but her facial expression said fierce and her stance said scrapper. She had a sharp tongue. "Looks like we got us a real bitch here, Joe," Biggie smiled. "We just might have to keep you around." Rio just gave the man a smile.

* * *

Four cop cars pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse behind him, none of them with lights or sirens going. Horatio was already at the warehouse door, rattling it. With no indication that it would budge, he stood back, unholstered his weapon and shot twice, once at each lock. It was amazing how well that worked.

The door swung open, and Horatio lowered his weapon as he looked back at his back up, silently instructing him to follow. His sweep of the main room yielded nothing but dried bloodstains. "Eric? Calleigh?" He called out into the emptiness. The door at the far side of the warehouse was closed. He headed over there, motioning for the others to fall back, and opened the door. Inside, a shaking woman was curled up on the bed against a bare chested man, who had his arms around her, and she was hiding her face. "It's just me," he told them as he holstered his weapon. From the looks of it, mercy had not been granted to either one of his family members. "Are either one of you seriously injured?"

Eric shook her head. "I'm not, no." He looked at Calleigh and back to Horatio, nodding toward her. Eric started to stand up, and Calleigh held on to him. "You gotta stand up for me. Come on," he coaxed her, helping her to her feet. "Atta girl." As soon as Eric had her on her feet, she had her face buried in Horatio's chest. He could feel her shaking against him, and he enveloped her in his arms. "She seemed okay, until after she got off the phone, when she started to shake. I gave her my shirt, but she's still pretty cold."

Horatio looked down at her. All he could see was the top of her head, her blond hair in tangles. "What happened?" He asked Eric. Calleigh didn't say anything, instead just leaning quietly against him. "Nevermind. Let's get you two out of here."

Horatio took off his suit jacket, and slipped it onto Calleigh. It hung considerably lower that Eric's shirt, and covered more of her. Tucking her under one arm and leading her to his Hummer, he gently helped her into the front seat, sitting sideways and facing him. Her tears had almost subsided, though she was still crying and every so often a whimper escaped her lips. "Calleigh, tell me what you need me to do." She didn't look at him, nor did she say anything. She just sat there, shaking everytime a breeze blew by. He reached up and took one of her hands in his. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me, Sweetheart." After Ben had left her to die, she had at least spoken to him. Now, it was like Calleigh had mentally checked out. She wouldn't speak at all.

His phone rang. He looked at the name on the screen. Natalia. "Caine."

"H, where are you?"

"I'm with Calleigh. Are you at the lab?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm outside. The Washington kid caught me on my way in. What's going on?"

"Ripley left?" He questioned. Calleigh looked up at him. "Where did she go?"

"I'm not sure, but she had to get the kids out of there."

He sighed. If Natalia was still outside the lab, that meant that the three men were still inside. Which meant that the men didn't see Ripley and the children leave. They were safe. "What does it look like inside?"

Natalia squinted around the corner of the building. "A white guy, two black guys, and Rio have everyone sitting on the floor," she told him. "It looks like Rio's helping them, which is something I don't quite get. How are Eric and Calleigh?"

"They'll both be alright, ma'am. Keep an eye on Rio, I'll be there soon."

"Hurry, H."

Natalia hung up, as did Horatio. "Sweetheart," he said as he looked up at Calleigh. "We need to get you to the hospital."

Her eyes met his for the first time since he'd arrived. "You just said you were going to the lab," she mumbled. He nodded. "No. If you're not coming with me, I'm not going."

Horatio sighed. "This is not an option, Calleigh. Eric's going with you, you won't be alone."

"I don't want Eric, I want you." Her voice was not a whisper, nor was she shy about being heard. Actually, everyone in the parking lot heard her. Eric looked over at the couple, hearing his name. The paramedic turned his head back the other way to treat the gash on his forehead.

"I won't be long. As soon as I'm done at the lab I will be over with you." A few more tears slipped down her cheeks, and she looked away from him. "I promise I'll be right there. Okay?" Looking behind him, he saw two ambulances had pulled up. Who had called them, and when had they gotten there? Must've been one of the officers. Not that he minded, it saved them time and the sooner he got back to the lab, the sooner he could stay with Calleigh. One truck was already attending to Eric. "Let me help you down." Once her feet were on the ground, he steadied her, and took a few steps. Her arms were locked around his middle and her feet were still tucked inside her boots.

After a short conversation with the paramedic, Horatio grabbed Marshall and ordered all the officers to follow him back to the precinct. The ride was a relatively quick one, all five cars speeding back to the building with lights and sirens. As soon as his car was parked, Horatio jumped out. Ben had started all of this and now, seven years later, he was ending it.

"What's the plan, Caine?" Marshall asked as he stepped up next to the man. "We can't just go barging in there."

"They already know we're here," Horatio replied. "They're staring right at us."

Marshall looked in through the glass doors. The three men were stepping in front of Rio, all four looking towards the door. "What are we supposed to do?"

Horatio took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips. "We go in." He looked around at the officers who had pulled in behind him. From four cop cars emerged eight officers. Natalia was with them as well. With a total number of ten bodies out here, they fat out-numbered the three Banditos inside the building. "Have your weapons at the ready. Nobody shoots until they shoot first; CSI Perez is on our team. Avoid her at all cost."

With synchronized steps, they made their way into the building, raising their weapons before entering. "Ahh, just the man we were lookin' for," Joe smiled.

"What a coincidence," Horatio retorted. "I've been looking for you as well."

"Well, now that you're here, I guess we can have you join your friends. If you don't give us any trouble, I'll make the woman's death a quick one."

Horatio shook his head. "She's not dying today, Joe."

Joe raised his weapon, as did the other two men and Rio. "What did you do?" he asked angrily.

"I did my job. Both Eric and Calleigh are safe. Now this, my friend, is over. Put your guns down."

"No!" Joe gritted through his teeth, moving his finger to the trigger. "You're gettin' what you deserve."

A gunshot rang out through the building, and for a moment, Horatio had no idea what happened. Joe fell face forward to the floor, blood leaking from the bullet wound in his back. His friends looked at Rio. "What the hell are you doing?" Biggie shouted at her.

Rio pulled her badge out of her back pocket and flashed it, gun still trained on Biggie the whole time. "Miami-Dade PD," she grinned. Both Eddie and Biggie turned their weapons on her. "Everybody on the floor, get out," she ordered. The people who were sitting on the floor of the lobby filed out in a mob, with the exception of three: Ryan, Tripp, and Benji Dennison. They grabbed weapons from the pile on the reception desk, and the numbers were now fourteen to two. And stupidly, the two thought they could get out of this unharmed. With one gun shot, Rio fell back, clutching her shoulder as she laid on the ground. She glared up at Biggie. "You have shit for aim, you know that?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Horatio looked at Natalia with a barely noticeable nod, and Natalia moved around the group to get to Rio, calling for an ambulance. The swarm of cops closed in on the two remaining Banditos. Eddie and Biggie raised their guns at Natalia, but Horatio and Marshall had pulled their triggers faster than the Banditos could pull theirs. Both men fell to the ground.

Within minutes, Rio was being loaded in the back of an ambulance with Horatio as a ride-along. Two of the officers there were instructed to ride with Biggie and Eddie in two more ambulances, and all the M.E. had to do was come upstairs to collect Joe's body.

Arriving at the hospital with one of his team members for the second time in too short of a time span, Horatio was relieved to find that, once again, Alexx Woods was on the clock. "Well, Horatio Caine, I have to ask: what is it about your team that attracts danger from four states away?"

Horatio sighed. "Every body wants a piece of the best team Florida has to offer, I guess," he replied. "How are Calleigh and Eric doing?"

"Those two got themselves into a mess, Lieutenant." Alexx shook her head. "Eric has a mild concussion and that gash on his cheek needed stitches. He must've landed a punch in on one of the guys because his middle knuckle on his right hand is busted. Other than that, it's all bruising." She looked over Eric's chart one more time before turning to Calleigh's. "And Calleigh..." Her eyes scanned the page, a brow rising.

"I remember that look, Alexx. What is it?" Horatio asked.

"Calleigh told the admitting nurse that she has syphilis. Did you know this?"

Horatio nodded. "I did, yes. She's been prescribed penicillin, you should find that in her system. What else does her chart say?"

"Well..." Alexx mused as she scanned over it further. "I'll spare you the nasty details and just tell you - she was raped. SAE kit was done by a forensic nurse. Calleigh has tearing in her rotator cuffs. Probably from laying on her back with her arms cuffed behind her, so it looks like she gave a fight. Dehydration, some minor cuts and bruising...that's all this tells me. I haven't been up to talk with either one of them yet, but I will make it up there soon."

That was not what he wanted to hear. He knew it was coming, but that pained him to know. "And what about Rosario Perez?"

Alexx shook her head again. "Nothing on her yet. As soon as she gets out of surgery, you'll be the first to know." Looking around, the woman noticed that something was missing. Three tiny somethings, actually. "Hey, Horatio...where are the kids?"

"With a friend. They'll be here soon. Room numbers?"

"341 and 343."

The red haired man gave a quick thanks and headed towards the elevator.


End file.
